• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
CIA Used Westlife Song As Part Of Torture Programme

Home> News

Published 12:36 31 Jan 2022 GMT

CIA Used Westlife Song As Part Of Torture Programme

A track from their album Coast to Coast was played during interrogations

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Music, US News

Claire Reid
Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

The CIA used to play a Westlife song at full volume on repeat during interrogations to try and ‘psychologically destroy’ a man.

The American Civil Liberties Union published a report titled Out of the Darkness in 2015, which detailed a torture programme the CIA used while interrogating Suleiman Abdullah in Afghanistan.

The report said a track called 'My Love', from the band’s Coast to Coast album, was played at full blast for hours on end. 

The report explained: “The CIA used the music of an Irish boyband called Westlife to torture Suleiman Abdullah in Afghanistan.

"His interrogators would intersperse a syrupy song called 'My Love' with heavy metal, played on repeat at ear-splitting volume.

Alamy

"They told Suleiman, a newly-wed fisherman, that they were playing the love song especially for him."

The report claimed Suleiman was subjected to techniques that had been specially designed to ‘psychologically destroy’ him. 

The report went on: “The music pounded constantly as part of a scheme to assault prisoners' senses.

"It stopped only when a CD skipped or needed changing. When that happened, prisoners would call to one another in a desperate attempt to find out who was being held alongside them."

Alongside the music, the report claims Suleiman was beaten, slammed into walls, chained in uncomfortable positions and doused with ice-cold water - all the while being interrogated about what he was doing in Somalia, where he was captured. 

Suleiman was eventually released, with the CIA deeming that he wasn’t a threat. 

But The American Civil Liberties Union says he was plagued by flashbacks from his time in captivity and was never able to relocate his wife. 

Suleiman and another prisoner Mohamed Ben Soud brought a lawsuit against psychologists James Mitchell and John Jessen who helped the CIA design the torture techniques. It was settled in 2017; the terms were undisclosed.

Westlife singer Kian Egan has previously said he reckons it was a good choice for a torture programme. 

Speaking in 2015, he told RTE 2: “This is news to my ears, but it was probably very successful for the CIA.

“It’s a pretty annoying song, especially to be played over and over again.”

Alamy

He also joked: "If we’re talking about [playing it] repeatedly, it probably only took about two hours to actually crack the poor guy with that one.”

Egan added: “I am only trying to shed a bit of light on the subject and have a bit of fun about it all.

“Well look I’m a heavy metal fan as well, I listen to Metallica on repeat.

“Heavy metal and boybands are two extremes of music, you can understand why they were used. I mean, it is what it is.”

Choose your content:

26 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • 26 mins ago

    GoPro footage shows moment Felix Baumgartner fell from space to Earth at almost 900mph as daredevil dies

    The daredevil broke the sound barrier while travelling at 844 miles per hour

    News
  • an hour ago

    Woman who accidentally filmed 'Coldplay couple' video has brutal response after it goes viral

    Grace Springer, who shared a video of what happened on TikTok, explained that she had no idea who the couple were

    News
  • an hour ago

    A volcano eruption three years ago was so massive it was caught on camera from space

    The aliens were probably very confused as to what was happening

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Donald Trump has blistering response after being accused of sending Jeffrey Epstein disturbing letter

    The president has responded angrily to a report by the Wall Street Journal alleging he sent a letter to Epstein

    News