The US Justice Department said on Saturday it was launching a preliminary inquiry into the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes of Al-Qaeda operatives.
"The Department of Justice and the CIA announced today that the Justice Department's National Security Division initiated a preliminary inquiry in conjunction with the CIA's Office of Inspector General regarding the destruction of the interrogation videos," the department said in a statement.
The preliminary inquiry will gather facts "to determine whether there is sufficient predication to warrant a full investigation," it said.