According to a journalistic investigation by the Associated Press and German television ARD published Thursday, Romania hosted a secret detention center for the CIA in northern Bucharest, in the basement of ORNISS building.
“Starting the latter part of 2002, the building on no. 4 Mures Street has been used exclusively as headquarters of the Romanian Office for Classified Information. We firmly deny all media allegations that this building has housed a secret CIA prison,” said the institution’s spokeswoman, Simona Cap-Alb.
According to the AP and ARD, the CIA’s prison in Romania was “hidden in plain sight, a couple blocks off a major boulevard on a street lined with trees and homes.” “The building is used as the National Registry Office for Classified Information, which is also known as ORNISS. Classified information from NATO and the European Union is stored there. Former intelligence officials both described the location of the prison and identified pictures of the building,” AP reported.