CNN: Italy convicts 'U.S. agents' in CIA kidnap trial

[Drew_Fl]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/04/italy.rendition.verdict/index.html

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Nearly two dozen Americans -- most thought to work for the CIA -- were sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday by an Italian court for their role in the seizing of a suspected terrorist in Italy in 2003, the prosecutor in the case told CNN.
The Americans did not appear for trial and are not in custody, but the ruling could effectively make them international fugitives.


Didn't see this posted yet.

How do you guys feel about other nations convicting OUR agents of crimes?

I respect their ability to protect their own nations, but I will be extremely pissed if any of these men are actually expected to carry out their sentences, which range from 5-8 years in prison.

If Italy is pissed, this should be a diplomatic conflict, not a judicial one. You shouldn't be able to out our agents and put them on trial when they are only following orders from our politicians and brass. (obviously if they commit war crimes on their own, then they should be tried)

I believe our government should do whatever is necessary to protect the people it puts out there. I know that they say if you're caught then they'll deny your existence, but that doesn't look true in this case.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Basically those guys won't return to Italy

However this whole plan was very keystone cop like.

The CIA officers involved in this blew tons of cash, stayed in fancy 5 star hotels with their wives, were incredibly loud and hot about the whole thing and got caught

Honestly, worst ops officers ever with this operation

[nonniey]

I'll admit I haven't followed this. But is this a rogue judge or court that did this (ie like Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon)? Or was it legitimate?

[Perky72]

If we break the laws of a country while we're in that country we should certainly expect to be rightfully prosecuted for it. Arguing otherwise is just nuts. Contrary to popular opinion we are not Team America: World Police.

[Larry]

I'll admit I haven't followed this. But is this a rogue judge or court that did this (ie like Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon)? Or was it legitimate?

Going from memory and assuming that this is the story I heard about many years ago:

Suspected terrorist living in Italy. I think he's an Italian citizen. The Italians suspect he's a terrorist, but they can't prove it. So they're following the guy around, watching him, keeping track of him.

So the Italians are watching the guy when he comes out of his mosque one day, and gets grabbed by several people and shoved into the back of a rented van. They follow the van.

Apparently, the Italians are able to keep records of the cell phone activity from the van.. They track several call phones, making dozens of calls. The majority are to unlisted numbers in Langly. Many of the calls are also to private residences in NoVa. (Supposedly, the CIA people phoned home while they were on a mission.)

One of the phone calls is to a Lt Colonel who's in charge of base security at a US Air Force base.

The van proceeds to the Air Force base, where base security permits the unmarked, civilian van through base security without it even stopping. The van proceeds to a hanger where a civilian jet owned by a US company suspected of being a front is waiting. The van goes into the hanger with the jet.

The jet pulls out of the hanger, and is given immediate clearance by traffic control. The jet flies to an Air Force base in Germany, and from there to, I think, Syria.