The US has come closer than ever before to admitting it has sent terror suspects to Syria for torture.

Syria tortures the suspects on behalf of the US, extracts the information, supplies the intelligence to the US and then hands the suspect back.

Syria is one of a number of countries participating in America's 'extraordinary rendition' programme.

There had been suspicions that Syria and the US have been working together for years, but it came to a head this morning when a BBC reporter asked the US Ambassador to London whether the US had sent suspects to Syria. His reply: "I don't think there is any evidence that there have been any renditions carried out in the country of Syria." (Robert Tuttle, US Ambassador to London).

So that's the denial.

But then...US officials sent a message to the BBC over-ruling Tuttle. The message announced that the United States of America does not comment on questions about rendition (effectively revoking Tuttle's denial):

"The ambassador recognised that there had been a media report of a rendition to Syria, but reiterated that the United States is not in a position to comment on specific allegations of intelligence activities that appear in the press," it read.