Berlin - Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Thursday strongly denied German involvement in flights arranged by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to transport terrorist suspects across Europe.

Speaking before appearing for the fourth time before a parliamentary commission probing the involvement of the German intelligence service in US detentions of terrorist suspects, Steinmeier described allegations that Germany had known of the flights as "crass nonsense."

Steinmeier said that on taking office at the end of 2005, he had immediately informed his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, that the "extraordinary rendition" flights were illegal under German law.

At the time of the two flights in question, in December 2001 and February 2003, Steinmeier was head of the chancellor's office and responsible for political control of the German intelligence services under former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

The parliamentary commission heard evidence Thursday that the BND German intelligence service had some information on the two flights.

On December 18, 2001 the CIA had transported two Egyptian suspects from Sweden to Cairo, crossing German airspace, and on February 17, 2003, the Egyptian Abu Omar had been flown to Cairo with a stop-off at the US Ramstein military base near Frankfurt, the commission heard.

Human rights organization Amnesty International organized a demonstration of around a dozen protestors outside the venue where the commission was holding its 91st session. (dpa)