Italy Judge Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents

MIKE BURN

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Jun 24, 9:28 AM (ET)

By AIDAN LEWIS

ROME (AP) - An Italian judge has ordered the arrest of 13 CIA agents for allegedly helping deport an imam to Egypt as part of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, an Italian official familiar with the investigation said Friday.

The agents are suspected in the seizure of an Egyptian-born imam identified as Abu Omar on the streets of Milan in February 2003, according to the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

The U.S. Embassy in Rome declined to comment.

Prosecutors believe the agents seized Omar as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program, in which terror suspects are transferred to third countries without court approval, according to reports Friday in newspapers Corriere della Sera and Il Giorno.

Investigators traced the agents through check-in details at Milan hotels and their use of Italian cell phones during the operation, the reports said. All the agents are American and include three women, Il Giorno said.

The reports said another six agents were being investigated for helping prepare the operation.

They said police also received an eyewitness account from an Egyptian woman who heard Omar calling for help and saw him being bundled into a white van as he walked from his house to a mosque.

The report said Omar was taken to Aviano, a joint U.S.-Italian base north of Venice, and was flown from there to another U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany, before being taken in a second jet to Cairo.

A judge also has issued a separate arrest warrant for Omar, news agencies ANSA and Apcom said. In that warrant, Judge Guido Salvini claimed the seizure of Omar represented a violation of Italian sovereignty, Apcom reported.

Earlier this month, Milan prosecutor Armando Spataro told The Associated Press that the prosecution was treating the disappearance of Omar as an abduction.

Spataro declined to say who was suspected for the alleged abduction, but he said Omar's disappearance damaged an ongoing operation by Italian authorities. He said he visited the air base in February.

Omar was believed to have fought with jihadists in Afghanistan and Bosnia, and prosecutors were seeking evidence against him before his disappearance, according to a report last year in La Repubblica newspaper, which cited intelligence officials.

Italian papers have reported that Omar, 42, called his wife and friends in Milan after his release last year, recounting he had been seized by Italian and American agents and taken to a secret prison in Egypt, where he was tortured with electric shocks.

Italian officials believe he now is living in Egypt, although Italian newspaper accounts suggested he was returned to custody shortly after his release.

DreamTone7 · Joined: 20 Sep 2002 Posts: 2571

I find it hard to believe it took 13 CIA agents to cart off this Omar character...he must be quite some guy!

...more going on here than is reported...as usual.

ans · Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 441

Maybe he had a chainsaw

MIKE BURN · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:23 am Post subject: Re: .

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CNN, Friday, June 24, 2005 Posted: 2028 GMT (0428 HKT)

Milan prosecutors accuse the 13 of having organized the kidnapping of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar, in the Muslim community in Milan, in Milan on February 17, 2003.

The cleric was then allegedly secretly flown to Egypt, where he was interrogated and tortured.

Italian investigators say Nasr had been under surveillance for possible terrorist activities and they were close to arresting him.

The deputy district attorney of Milan and lead investigator, Armando Spataro, issued this statement to CNN:

"If the kidnapping of the person in question had not been carried out, Nasr ... would now be detained and subject to Italian justice. ... More importantly, the ongoing investigations had revealed important information which could have led to other suspects and arrests.

"The Italian investigation was a major breakthrough into a terrorist network in Milan which also operated overseas. Therefore, the kidnapping of Nasr ... is not just a totally illegal act that violates gravely Italy's sovereignty, but it is also a damaging and counterproductive act against the efficiency of the fight against terrorism."

It is unclear to what extent the Italian intelligence or the Italian government was aware of any kidnapping operation, because all of the arrest warrants have been issued against U.S. citizens.

Originally prosecutors sought the arrest of 19 agents, but the judge decided to issue arrest warrants against only 13, the source said.

DreamTone7 · Joined: 20 Sep 2002 Posts: 2571

"Milan prosecutors accuse the 13 of having organized the kidnapping of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar, in the Muslim community in Milan, in Milan on February 17, 2003."

More than two years ago. Hmmm...wonder why it took so long for the Italian government to decide to issue warrants? And then we have:

"It is unclear to what extent the Italian intelligence or the Italian government was aware of any kidnapping operation, because all of the arrest warrants have been issued against U.S. citizens."

Ah-ha...possibly because the Italian government had something to do with it, and now wants to point the finger at the US to absolve themselves after the fact...especially convenient when they know it's highly unlikely any arrests will ever be made. Also could be the Italians covering up something, justifying a mistake made, or a number of other possible things that they may wish to excuse by pointing at what is probably the most cliche excuse in Europe right now...the US.

I suspect cow-towing to Islam again...as has recently been done by Italy. Interesting...we shall see.

Rev9Volts · Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1327

Galmin · The King has spoken! Joined: 30 Dec 2001 Posts: 1711

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More than two years ago. Hmmm...wonder why it took so long for the Italian government to decide to issue warrants?

Beats me. The CIA was never mentioned in the Judges ruling. An anonymous source 'confirmed' that the commando was a CIA covert operation.The only one pointed out (former DO going private and already burned in 1994) said last February when this story broke that the authorities can come and pick him up anytime. He has since disappeared. As I am sure all of them has. They're cartainly not in Italy anymore and this magistrates case can be crushed higher up. Trust me, we will see noone on trial.

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, or a number of other possible things that they may wish to excuse by pointing at what is probably the most cliche excuse in Europe right now...the US.

If it was a CIA mission, isn't it feasable to believe that it was carried out through orders from a CIA CO?

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I suspect cow-towing to Islam again...as has recently been done by Italy. Interesting...we shall see.

Has it? By Italy?

Galmin · The King has spoken! Joined: 30 Dec 2001 Posts: 1711

Italians question CIA kidnap case

Italian government faces parliament over February abduction

Link

It seems the Italian government will have some questions to ask. Is that to your liking, DT?

DreamTone7 · Joined: 20 Sep 2002 Posts: 2571

You mean some questions to answer!

Yes...it's a good start...though I doubt we'll ever really know the full story. Too many potential heads to roll, methinks...and the fact that there's two years time between now and the time this happens means the trail has grown cold. Very convenient. Oh well.

Galmin · The King has spoken! Joined: 30 Dec 2001 Posts: 1711

Answer, yes

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and the fact that there's two years time between now and the time this happens means the trail has grown cold

Not neccessarily. It seems the kiddnappers were being watched two years ago with every modern technique available. It seems it's not a a case with two years old trails to start to follow up.

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Very convenient

Convenient for whom? Berlusconi? Bush? CIA? Omar? All of them?