Mr Arar was imprisoned in Syria for almost a year

Declassified papers in Canada show that in 2002 officials suspected that the US had sent a Syrian-born Canadian, Maher Arar, to Syria to be tortured.

The previously blacked-out passages in the documents were released after a court order.

US security officials arrested Mr Arar at a New York airport in 2002 and deported him to Syria.

In Canada, a government inquiry completely exonerated Mr Arar of any links with terrorist groups.

The Canadian government had fought to keep the unreleased sections of documents submitted to the Maher Arar inquiry from coming out.

They reveal that in 2002 a Canadian intelligence official in Washington wrote to his superiors about the so-called rendition to third countries by the FBI and the CIA.

In the same year, in October, the deputy director of Canada's intelligence agency wrote: " I think that the US would like to get Arar to Jordan, where they can have their way with him."

That was just two days after US officials sent Maher Arar to Syria, via Jordan. He had been detained while changing planes at John F Kennedy airport in New York.

He was imprisoned for almost a year and it is widely accepted in Canada that he was tortured, although Syria has denied this.

Following the public inquiry, the Canadian government issued a formal apology to Mr Arar and paid him more than $10m (£5m) in compensation. American officials continue to insist that their actions were based on reliable intelligence, although they will not discuss details of the case.

BBC News