Claire Reid
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.
"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.”
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.”