Don't pass the buck. That's the message 75 North Carolina non-profit groups sent the State Attorney General's Office today.

They were responding to a Tuesday letter in which the Attorney General's office said the FBI, not a state authority, would be the best agency to investigate Aero Contractors, a contract air carrier based in Smithfield. International criminal investigations have connected the company to a CIA program of "extraordinary rendition" where terrorism suspects have been flown to countries where they may have been interrogated and tortured.

SBI Director Robin Pendergraft personally delivered the case to the FBI, JB Kelly, general counsel of the office said. The federal agency would be the best to initiate an investigation, he added, because of the complexity of the case and the resources required. Specifically, federal law makes it illegal to lie to an FBI agent in the course of an investigation — a tool not available to state authorities.

"The Attorney General and the SBI stand ready to assist the FBI in any criminal investigation they seek our assistance," Kelly wrote.

Grassroots organizations responded Wednesday by holding a press conference at the state legislature and presenting the Attorney General's office with signatures of over 2,500 individuals in North Carolina. If the company is found to have played a role in kidnapping and torture, they said the state's lease agreement with Aero at the state-funded Global TransPark in Kinston should be revoked.

"Do we seriously expect that the FBI will investigate a shady CIA front outfit in Smithfield?" said Christina Cowger, coordinator of North Carolina Stop Torture Now. "We're not holding our breath."

Rep. Earl Jones of Greensboro, one of 22 lawmakers who had requested an investigation, said the state's legislature does not have authority to conduct an investigation through public hearings, compelling people to give sworn testimony under subpoenas.

But Rep. Paul Luebke of Durham said he and other legislators would convene in the coming week to discuss introducing a possible bill against torture.