British intelligence effectively subcontracted the torture of a terrorist suspect in 2006 by allowing him to fly to Pakistan and then tipping off Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — even though they had enough evidence to prosecute him in Britain, a member of the UK parliament revealed Tuesday.

According to MP David Davis, who served as the conservative shadow home secretary under Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK’s domestic intelligence service M15 collaborated with Greater Manchester police to allow the flight of terrorist suspect Rangzieb Ahmed to Pakistan and drew up a list of questions for Pakistani intelligence to question him with after tipping off the ISI to his arrival. Officials also knew that Pakistan routinely tortured detainees.

Ahmed is said to have been the highest ranking al Qaeda operative living in Britain. Following his detention in Pakistan, he was sent back to the UK and was convicted last December of “directing the activities of an organisation which was concerned in the commission of acts of terrorism.” He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole in ten years.