Peace activists in the mid-west have called on the new Minister for Defence, Mr O'Dea, to respond to reports that a jet used to transport al-Qaeda suspects to Guantanamo Bay and to "Egyptian torture chambers" regularly passes through Shannon Airport.
According to a statement signed by several peace activists yesterday, the jet was identified by Swedish airport police and investigative journalists following the arrest, imprisonment and torture of two men taken from Sweden on an unmarked jet, which is on lease to the US.
One of the men was released 34 months later without charge, having been allegedly beaten and tortured with electricity.
The other was convicted by a military court in a closed trial.
The aircraft was seen at Shannon and included on a plane-spotting log.
The group claims that, two days before President Bush arrived in Shannon last June, the Minister for Justice told the Seanad it would cause him grave concern "if unlawfully detained people were brought through Ireland, as every person on the soil of Ireland is entitled to the protection of the Constitution". Mr McDowell also told the Seanad he would respond immediately if any evidence emerged that this may be happening.
The anti-war campaigners said "this evidence has now emerged".
They continued: "In April 2002, Ireland ratified the UN Convention Against Torture. This commits us to preventing torture, and obliges us to arrest anyone on our territory who is suspected of torture, regardless of where that torture occurred."
The campaigners said Mr O'Dea lives 20 miles from Shannon and has said in the past that "nothing secretive or furtive" was going on at the airport.
"That was before the Shannon Peace Camp exposed the huge numbers of troop flights and military cargo flights using Shannon Airport." The group called on Mr O'Dea to "meet his responsibilities and prevent the illegal transit of belligerent forces through the State".