The CIA refused to release a suspect for months even after learning he was innocent

An internal Central Intelligence Agency report on the 2004 arrest and detention of Khaleed al Masri admits that the agency held the German citizen for months after it was confirmed he had no connections to terrorism.

Initially abducted by Macedonian police while on vacation, Masri was handed over to the CIA in January 2004 and taken to one of the agency's black sites, a secret prison in Afghanistan. By Masri's account, the CIA drugged him for transport and tortured him while he was in their custody, administering a nonconsensual anal exam. The CIA's report denies allegations of torture, but does admit that Masri was held in a "small cell" with only "some clothing, bedding, and a bucket for his waste."

Once the agency realized that Masri's passport and story were genuine, his release was delayed because the CIA did not wish to admit error. Finally, in May 2004, Masri was released in Albania. He returned home to Germany to find his family had left the country because they did not believe they would see him again.

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The two CIA agents most responsible for Masri's mistaken detention were promoted.