Panama Arrests Ex-CIA Chief of Station Wanted by INTERPOL for Abduction of Muslim Cleric
On February 17, 2003, Nasr was seized in dramatic fashion by a group
of CIA operatives in broad daylight in Milan. He was stuffed into an
unmarked white van and eventually ended up in Egypt, where he was
tortured before being released. Nasr’s case helped raise awareness of
the US government’s extraordinary rendition program. Under the
controversial program, suspected terrorist operatives were secretly
taken to third-party countries where they were subjected to aggressive
interrogation techniques. Italian authorities were irritated by Nasr’s
kidnapping, which they claimed took place without the consent of the
Italian government. There are also reports that the Italian intelligence
services were monitoring Nasr at the time and were trying to recruit
him as a source, which might explain why they were incensed when the
Egyptian was snatched by the CIA without their authorization.
Lady and several other CIA operatives involved in Nasr’s abduction were subsequently identified in a judicial investigation by Italian authorities, which also exposed the American team’s careless spy tradecraft. The latter included unsecured cell phone calls to each other in the days before the abduction, and extravagant bills incurred while staying in luxury Italian hotels. The US government refused to acknowledge that most of the 23 identified Americans were CIA operatives and pressured the Italian authorities to drop all charges. But Washington’s efforts failed and the Americans were convicted in absentia in 2005.
According to the Italian media, Lady was arrested by police near Panama’s border with Costa Rica on Wednesday, soon after he entered the country. There is no mention in the Italian press of the reasons why Lady, who is wanted by INTERPOL in pursuance of a formal request issued by Rome, was traveling outside the United States. It is also unclear whether the Panamanian authorities were acting at the behest of the Italian government. Italy now has two months to file a formal extradition request for Lady, who has been convicted to nine years in prison for his role in Nasr’s kidnapping. The CIA has declined to comment on Lady’s reported arrest and possible extradition.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/panama-arrests-ex-cia-chief-of-station-wanted-by-interpol-for-abduction-of-muslim-cleric/5343322
Lady and several other CIA operatives involved in Nasr’s abduction were subsequently identified in a judicial investigation by Italian authorities, which also exposed the American team’s careless spy tradecraft. The latter included unsecured cell phone calls to each other in the days before the abduction, and extravagant bills incurred while staying in luxury Italian hotels. The US government refused to acknowledge that most of the 23 identified Americans were CIA operatives and pressured the Italian authorities to drop all charges. But Washington’s efforts failed and the Americans were convicted in absentia in 2005.
According to the Italian media, Lady was arrested by police near Panama’s border with Costa Rica on Wednesday, soon after he entered the country. There is no mention in the Italian press of the reasons why Lady, who is wanted by INTERPOL in pursuance of a formal request issued by Rome, was traveling outside the United States. It is also unclear whether the Panamanian authorities were acting at the behest of the Italian government. Italy now has two months to file a formal extradition request for Lady, who has been convicted to nine years in prison for his role in Nasr’s kidnapping. The CIA has declined to comment on Lady’s reported arrest and possible extradition.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/panama-arrests-ex-cia-chief-of-station-wanted-by-interpol-for-abduction-of-muslim-cleric/5343322
No comments:
Post a Comment