German who says U.S. imprisoned him sues CIA

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union said on Tuesday it was filing suit on behalf of a German man who says he was wrongly imprisoned by the U.S. government, a legal challenge against one of the spy agency's most prominent tactics in Washington's declared war on terrorism.

The group said it was suing former CIA Director George Tenet on behalf of Khaled el-Masri, who says that in 2003 he became the innocent victim of a CIA tactic known as extraordinary rendition, in which terror suspects are captured and flown to other countries for interrogation.

Human rights advocates say suspects often wind up being tortured in countries of the Middle East and other regions.

The suit charges that Tenet and other CIA officials violated U.S. and universal human rights laws and they authorized agents to kidnap Masri.