CIA veterans say Italian official knew of covert plan (re: kidnapping)

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- Before a CIA paramilitary team was deployed to snatch a radical Islamic cleric off the streets of Milan in February 2003, the CIA station chief in Rome briefed and sought approval from his Italian counterpart, according to three CIA veterans with knowledge of the operation and a fourth who reviewed the matter after it took place.

The previously undisclosed Italian involvement undercuts the accusation, which has fueled public resentment in Italy toward the United States, that the CIA brashly slipped into the country unannounced and uninvited to kidnap an Italian resident off the street.

In fact, former and current CIA officials said, both the CIA and Italian service agreed beforehand that if the unusual operation was to become public, as it has, neither side would confirm its involvement, a standard agreement the CIA makes with foreign intelligence services over covert operations.
...
The CIA ''told a tiny number of people" about the action, said one intelligence veteran in the management chain of the operation when it took place. ''Certainly not the magistrate, not the Milan police."

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/30/cia_veterans_say_italian_official_knew_of_covert_plan/

[maddezmom]

1. Italy Denies It Knew of CIA Kidnapping

ROME - The Italian government denied Thursday it had prior knowledge of the alleged CIA kidnapping of a radical Egyptian cleric in 2003, an operation that has led prosecutors to seek the arrest of 13 purported CIA operatives.

Carlo Giovanardi, minister for relations with parliament, addressed the Senate in response to opposition demands that Italy say whether authorities knew of plans to kidnap the Egyptian, considered an Islamic terrorist.

Italian prosecutors have accused the 13 CIA officials of kidnapping Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, known as Abu Omar, on a Milan street on Feb. 17, 2003, and sending him to Egypt, where he reportedly was tortured.

The Egyptian preacher purportedly was seized as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program in which suspected terrorists are transferred to third countries without court approval, where they face interrogation and possible torture.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050630/ap_on_re_eu/italy_cia_3

[Rose Siding]

3. And: Italy summons U.S. ambassador over kidnapping

(that link is dented)

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government has summoned the U.S. ambassador to discuss allegations that the CIA kidnapped a terrorism suspect from Milan and flew him to Egypt for questioning, a minister said on Thursday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Carlo Giovanardi told the Senate that Italy had no knowledge of such an operation, and said the ambassador would hold talks at the prime minister's office when he returned to Italy -- possibly on Friday.

It was the first official comment by the government since Milan Judge Chiara Nobili last week issued arrest warrants for 13 people, whom judicial sources say are linked to the U.S. intelligence agency.

Giovanardi told the Senate that Italy and state institutions knew nothing about a kidnapping operation. "As a result, one cannot speculate that any operation of this type was authorized or that any Italian apparatus was involved," he said.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/30/italy_summons_us_ambassador_over_kidnapping/

I wonder if the US still has buds in the Italian govt to summon up on this- Remember deep within the Niger/yellowcake reportage a story thread involving Italian agents?

[maddezmom]

4. oops, fixed the link

:hi:

[marmar]

2. These are tough days...

for governments from the so-called "Coalition of the Willing."

:nopity:

[Monkie]

5. The judiciary is pretty independent but Italy = USA sockpuppet since WWII

The covert involvement of the USA in Europe from WWII to the present must be one of THE under reported stories of all time.
I would say that only France, Scandinavia, and more recently Germany and Spain, have had any real success resisting the American corruption of their society (with the co-operation of willing local leaders and the transnational corps).
While many documents become unclassified given time in the USA, has anyone heard of ANY documents relating to Europe and the cia's involvement therein being declassified,or articles in the MSM relating to this,ever?
There is a real battle going on in Europe at the moment, and a strong socially democratic Europe with a united front on foreign policy and its own army must be one of America's nightmare scenario's.

[Henny Penny]

6. I think this goes some way to explaining...

Mr. Tony "I'm pro-Europe" Blair's current posturing.

[gratuitous]

7. CIA doesn't bother denying the charge

Now they're just looking to get a couple of government officials on the hot seat with them. Or is CIA saying that because a couple of government officials greatly overstepped their authority, that makes what they've done all right?

I hardly see how this mealy-mouthed excuse ("Jimmy said I could bust that window!") undercuts anything about the crime CIA is accused of perpetrating.

[bribri16]

8. These intel agencies are governments unto themselves. Reign them in

I say. How much control do the people of the nation really have over these hidden governments with budgets and arms and freedom to behave any way they want to. How many times have wars been waged because of either faulty intel, fake intel, or hyped intel? Who is more powerful in this country, the director of CIA or the President? With the amount of clout at their disposal, intel agencies can run amuch anywhere all over the globe, in any country.

[Roland99]

9. Just because an Italian intelligence official knew doesn't make it legal.

Perhaps the Italian intelligence officials will be brought in for investigation, too.


BTW, Swedish officials confirm some suspects were flown to Egypt by the CIA? I thought Egypt denied it all was in the clear as a fine, upstanding supporter of human rights? :sarcasm:

[Igel]

10. Payback's a bitch.

Italians run operation in Iraq; US shoots car, kills operative. Claim: US didn't know.
Counterclaim: Italians told US.
Response: Kept hush-hush, few knew, at best.
Assumed: Italians are right, no proof offered.


Americans appear to run operation in Italy; somebody kidnapped.
Claim: Italy didn't know.
Counterclaim: US told Italians.
Additional counterclaim: It was kept hush-hush, few knew, at best.
Claim: Italians are right, no proof offered.

Dva voprosa, odin otvet.