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Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Fri Jun 24, 2005 at 11:47:22 AM EST
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Wow. Extraordinary rendition hits a nerve in Italy. 13 American CIA agents have been ordered arrested for kidnapping Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, known as Abu Omar, in 2003 and sending him to Egypt where he reportedly was tortured.

Prosecutors believe the officers 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. The statement said Omar was attacked by two people while walking from home to a local mosque and hustled into a white van. He was taken to Aviano, a joint U.S.-Italian base north of Venice; another American air base in Ramstein, Germany; and then Cairo.

Investigators confirmed the abduction through an eyewitness account and other, unidentified witnesses, the statement said. The statement said Omar was abused by interrogators in Egypt, according to phone calls made by Omar from Egypt to his wife and another unnamed Egyptian citizen in April-May, 2004.

Italian papers have reported that Omar, 42, said in the calls he was tortured with electric shocks....According to the testimony, Omar was hung upside down and subjected to extreme temperatures and loud noise that damaged his hearing, Corriere reported.

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    Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents | 26 comments (26 topical)
    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#1)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:30 PM EST
    Note to GOPers: Gucci and Prada burning at 4 p.m.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#2)
    by theologicus on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:30 PM EST
    Blowback. The head of Italy's Foreign Military Intelligence Nicola Calipari was killed in Iraq when he shielded Giuliana Sgrena from American bullets.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#3)
    by Randinho on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:30 PM EST
    Birds coming home to roost. Reaping the whirlwind. Karma. Whatever you want to call it, s#%$, meet fan.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    I believe it was my homeboy Nelson Muntz who once said "Ha-Ha!"

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    this must be the same part of Italy that is trying an author for thought crimes against Islam. We will see what comes of it but I am happy, if the country is allowing Jihadists to wander around, we had people willing and able to pull this off. I like it better than giving them a rest haven and refuge a la Khomeini's European Vacation.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    The statement said Omar was attacked by two people while walking from home to a local mosque and hustled into a white van
    Sounds like a kidnapping to me. Italy has every right to prosecute kidnappers.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    you may be right-just doesn't change my point-I don't want Jihadists to have a comfortable Italian vacation. Did those repressive Egyptian really let that guy call his family? weren't they torturing him-did they leave a phone in the room?

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#8)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Ed, Italy isn't letting the terrorist just wander off. The judge issued an arrest warrant for him, too. Italy just doesn't want other countries picking people up in their borders without permission.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#9)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Now this is a show and what fun we all will have with it, ask who is doing who in this world of lies and murder, which guy is wrong and which guy will kill you? the good old CIA Doing its thing once more, sad,sad, world.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#10)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    I like ED, Did you say Thought crimes against islam?, if i was in that part of italy my head would be cut off at once. this is so much fun to watch, hell i don't need a TV..Watch what happens next week. its coming down and i can't wait to see it.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Kidnapped and taken to a country where torture is known to not be frowned upon. Hm-m-m-m-m. What other regimes does this remind me of? It's right on the tip of my tongue. I'm sure it'll come to me if I keep thinking about it. Let's see, use of electric shock, hanging people (human beings) upside down, temp. extremes, loud noises. Warrents a war crimes investigation, at the least.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#12)
    by Andreas on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    The report states that the "suspects remained at large". It is possible that the CIA agents hide in Ramstein/Germany. That is an additional reason to close that US military base now (and all other US military bases in Europe).

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#13)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    So now we know what Italians were fighting for in Iraq. They were fighting for the right of other countries to kidnap their citizens. Italy has lost 26 men in Iraq and we reward them by going behind their back and kidnapping their citizens. With friends like Bush who needs enemies.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#15)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Andreas: It is also possible they hide in the French Rivera, Paris, London, San Marino, Rome, Pisa and Helsinki.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#16)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    john horse,
    They were fighting for the right of other countries to kidnap their citizens.
    Is Omar an Italian citizen? The article implies he's Egyptian (by referring to "another unnamed Egyptian citizen"). It probably doesn't make a legal difference, but it makes a big diplomatic difference. If you're going to mention Iraq, maybe you could do it thoroughly and point out that insurgents in Iraq have kidnapped several Italian citizens and executed some. Maybe Italy is fighting to prevent that sort of tactic from spreading?

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#17)
    by The Heretik on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Breaking news: U.S. Admits Torture at Guantanamo Sad commentary on the cynical sea we are forced to swim in. But the tide is turning.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#18)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Ed, Please read Wile E. Coyote's comment. Looks like Old Europe isn't quite ready to be "retired".

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#19)
    by Beck on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:31 PM EST
    Apparently the CIA agents were a bunch of bumblers who were easily tracked by their cell phones:
    Translation from an article: [Repubblica, 6/24/2005] Milan closes the inquiry - CIA, 12 agents face arrest. [...] "The CIA team bungled a lot, leaving clues everywhere. A group of cell phones is in Via Guerzoni [where the kidnapping occurred] around noon. The same cell phones moved toward Aviano Air Base shortly thereafter. Calls from those cell phone were made to the U.S. consulate and to numbers in Virginia. One of the same cell phones was located in Cairo the day after. From the cell phones [the investigators] tracked [...] the hotels in Milan where the team members stayed and the car rental agency where the van used in the operation was rented.
    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:32 PM EST
    poetic justice would be if the italians aprehended these agents on american soil without warning our govt.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#21)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:32 PM EST
    poetic justice would be if the italians aprehended these agents on american soil without warning our govt.
    And sent them to North Korea to be interrogated. What would Ed think of that?

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#22)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:33 PM EST
    I believe Italy let the Achille Lauro hijackers go. If you want something done, at least after the Leatherheads rescued the American officer, Italy might not be the best place to wait for a conclusion.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#23)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:33 PM EST
    Achille Lauro, chappaquidick, clinton, any kennedy ever born, have nothing to do with the US violating our ally Italy's soverign nation to kidnap someone on their soil. Kidnapping is illegal wherever it occurs and we have reciprocal extradition treaties with Italy.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#24)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    Sailor. Why don't you talk to Mrs. Klinghoffer about how dismissive it is possible to be. We have treaties.... How nice. Treaties do not, literally, exist if one side fails to live up to them. We have an extradition treaty with Mexico...much good it does us. Therefore, it does not exist and we are free to act as if it does not exist. There may be other reasons for prudence, but the treaty is not one of them. Now, of course, we have exactly what evidence the CIA took him? The CIA is actually organizations. One can't get out of its own way when that's necessary for the lefties. The other can do anything, no matter how outlandish, and is always, however, found out. When that's necessary for lefties. But besides your reflexive hatred for the Firm, and a suspect phone call, what do you have?

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#25)
    by Andreas on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    The Italian government does not (yet?) seem to have made a call to the population of Europe to find and arrest those CIA agents. In fact: the CIA is one of the main terrorist organisations which currently exists.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    But besides your reflexive hatred for the Firm, and a suspect phone call, what do you have?
    Ra- It doesn't matter what "we" have, whoever "we" are in your ideological fantasies..... What matters is what the Italian judge has, who apparently has evidence of kidnapping. Funny how the Right loves the rule of law, until it becomes too much of a bother.

    Re: Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    Read the NYT update on this story - very interesting. Italian justice system appoints defenders automatically before it releases the complete indictment and issues arrest warrants to Interpol. Might be more difficult for these particular individuals to ply their craft in old Europe in the near future. Like Kissinger, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Pinochet and other critics of the International Criminal Court, they will have to criticize from afar or they may be answering indictments of their own activities. Now put the shoe on the other foot - anybody have a problem if Belgium abducts Kissinger or Cheney off a street in Georgetown and flies them to The Hague for arraignment? Do we really need diplomatic relations and due process or should all sovereign nations just start grabbing folks wherever they can find them?

    Italy Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents | 26 comments (26 topical)