Italian judge indicts CIA agents for illegal kidnapping

An Italian judge has indicted 26 Americans and 5 Italians for involvement in the kidnapping of Egyptian cleric Abu Omar on the streets of Milan in 2003. Abu Omar (real name, Hassan Mustafa Mosama Nasr) was abducted in Milan, taken to Aviano Air Base and then flown via Ramstein in Germany to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. The indictment is the first time the practice of extraordinary rendition could face scrutiny in open court, with the trial set to begin in June.

Abu Omar was released last week, when an Egyptian court ruled his detention was “unfounded.”

All but one of the Americans involved in the kidnapping have been identified as CIA agents, including former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, former Rome station chief Jeffrey Castelli and US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Romano, stationed at Aviano at the time. None of the accused are said to be in the country.

The five Italians indicted included former chief of military intelligence General Nicolo Pollari and his deputy, Marco Mancini.

Pollari, who claims he is unable to defend himself in court since his defence would involve disclosing evidence that is classified top secret, has threatened to call former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his successor Romano Prodi as witnesses.

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/cia-f19.shtml