The US government has launched a criminal investigation into CIA interrogations as a declassified report revealed threats to kill a suspect's children and the use of an electric drill to scare another detainee.
The document, compiled by the agency's inspector general in 2004 but released on Monday, includes allegations that an agent implied that a prisoner's mother would be sexually assaulted in front of his eyes unless he spoke.
It could lead to criminal charges against the interrogators responsible, with the US attorney general appointing a senior prosecutor to investigate claims of mistreatment.
Release of the five-year-old document came as US President Barack Obama gave his approval to a new interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House.
It marks a move away from the Bush-era policy of giving the CIA the lead when it comes to questioning al Qaida suspects.
But the administration denied it was sidelining the CIA. Bill Burton, deputy press secretary to the White House, said the new High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, would be a cross-agency body - although he did confirm it would be led by an FBI official.
It comes as the CIA faced strong criticism over methods it employed under the previous administration.
The release of formerly classified documents followed a lawsuit from pressure group the American Civil Liberties Union.
A lot of the document remained redacted. But it did outline a catalogue of harsh interrogation techniques that many believe transgressed the rules of law.
It revealed that agents warned September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that his children were going to be killed in the event of further attacks in the US. Another alleged al Qaida member was told that his mother would be sexually assaulted if he did not speak.
