Rendition Circuit: 6-13 November 2002
Rendition of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Dubai to Afghanistan
In early November 2002, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was rendered from Dubai, where he had been captured in mid-October 2002, to Kabul, Afghanistan. There, he was held at the CIA-run DETENTION SITE COBALT for a brief time, before being rendered again to DETENTION SITE GREEN, in Thailand, for detention and torture alongside Abu Zubaydah.
Analysis by The Rendition Project and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has established that al-Nashiri entered CIA custody at some point 10-11 November 2002. The renditions aircraft with registration N85VM, operated by Richmor Aviation, flew between Dubai and Afghanistan on 9 November 2002. This is the only record in our Rendition Flights Database of flights from Dubai to Afghanistan at some point 8-12 November 2002, making it almost certain that it rendered al-Nashiri between the two countries.
- Click here for more on Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri's detentions and treatment
- Click here for more on N85VM
Analysis
N85VM left one of Richmor’s home airports, Columbia County General Airport (K1B1), around lunchtime on 6 November 2002, flying to Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD). It stayed on the tarmac at Washington for over 36 hours, leaving for Shannon, Ireland (EINN) early in the morning of 8 November 2002. After landing at Shannon, the aircraft flew onto Dubai (OMDB), where it almost certainly picked up al-Nashiri, who had been in Emirati detention since his capture. It then flew direct to Kabul, Afghanistan (OAKB) returning to Dubai before flying to Luton, UK (EGGW)on 12 November. The aircraft then headed back to Columbia County via Washington, landing in the early hours of 13 November 2002.
Overall, Richmor billed SportsFlight Air for $198,930.30 for undertaking this rendition circuit, in an invoice dated 15 November 2002. This fee included 37.7 hours of flying time for this circuit, at the agreed rate of $4900 per hour ($184,730 in total), as well as catering, landing fees, and the provision of an extra member of crew.
