CIA Moves Toward Probe of Prisons Story

By: KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer (AP) The CIA took the first step toward a full-scale criminal investigation of a leak of possibly classified information on secret prisons to The Washington Post, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

The agency sent a report to the Justice Department about the Post story, which reported the existence of secret U.S. detention centers for suspected terrorists in Eastern Europe.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the referral was made shortly after the Nov. 2 story. The leak investigation into the disclosure of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity came about through the same referral procedure.