Skinny Puppy bills Pentagon for Guantanamo 'royalties'

The band's keyboardist said the group was distressed its music was used to "inflict damage" on the prisoners

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A Canadian rock band has sent a bill to the US military after being told its music was used to torment suspected terrorists at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, a member has said.

Skinny Puppy keyboardist Cevin Key told CTV News the band sought $666,000 (£409,000) for use of its music.

Key said a fan who had served as a guard there informed the group its music had been used.

A US military spokesman told the BBC it had not received an invoice.

Lt Col Todd Breasseale said the defence department would not comment on procedures at Guantanamo Bay.

"I am not only against the fact they're using our music to inflict damage on somebody else but they are doing it without anybody's permission," Key said in the interview.

The US has been widely criticised for the reported treatment of prisoners at the military detention centre on Cuba, including the waterboarding of detainees in what has become known as "enhanced interrogation" practices.

It has been reported that the US military there and at other detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan blasted loud music into detainees' cells, ranging from Metallica and Nine Inch Nails to Queen and Sesame Street.

'Taken aback'

A US Army general who authorised the practice said it would "create fear, disorient... and prolong capture shock", according to the Associated Press.

The BBC has not independently confirmed Skinny Puppy's songs were used at Guantanamo.

In the interview with CTV, Cevin Key said the former guard had written a book about his time in Guantanamo and had reached out to the band.

"I think he was quite taken aback our music was being used in such a manner," Key said.

The Vancouver-based band, which has been active for about 30 years and was one of the originators of the dark rock subgenre known as industrial, said it would consider suing the military for using its music without permission if it received no response to the invoice.