Italian Court Convicts 23 Americans of Kidnapping
 

Did any of you know about this one? I don't think it's getting much attention in the press. Any thoughts?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...ition-abu-omar

John

Very interesting story and I had not heard about it.

Guess the Eyeties don't love us anymore.

Or this is another example of "politics by other means".

Chas

Berlusconi is definitely not happy about this.

John

Saw it on the "crawl" on Fox Thurs or Friday...

It was on Newshour, all the 23 guys need to do is stay out of Europe. They certainly won't get extradited.

European hypocrisy - let them try to hold any of them.

Pete

Why hypocrisy, they did not kidnap anyone?

Yeah, you'd better get on your horse, go over there and bust 'em out, cowboy.

Read the article first though. They were tried in absentia. (not Italy ;)) I guess all you needed to know is them Ities is a-comin' after us Merkins, huh?

When you read the article you might want to rethink that "hypocrisy" bit too. This was a truly heinous act, perpetrated upon a person who appears to be completely innocent.

Then they should quite simply be tried by an American court. Italy can posture all it wants.

Pete

The crime occurred in Italy. We don't have jurisdiction. Oh, wait! We're America! We've got universal jurisdiction!

How is it "posturing" to enforce your own laws?

John

Hi Pete, would you like some freedom fries to go with that.:D

Super-sized please :D

They were CIA agents - they didn't break US laws?

I don't believe for 1 minute that Italy isn't neck-deep in this is all.

Pete

I'm sorry to say this but your posts just don't make any sense. In one post you say they should be tried in the US and in the next you say they broke no US laws.

It appears they were but the Italian government blocked the court's access to the evidence.

John

An earlier post said they were outside US jurisdiction. Above I'm pointing out they probably weren't.

Pete

This should have been taken care of at a ministerial level, not drug out in the courts. Spooks are spooks, & always will be, & you're basically NOT going to stop them. Wonder what REALLY precipitated this ? I guess the Italians wanted/needed a "favor" done of some sort, the Americans wouldn't/couldn't, & somebody got ticked off, & decided to make a big stink.

I don't know why people are so cynical about that patriotic practice of spying.

Regards,

D-Ray

The only way I can see for spying to be a factor here is if the Italian intelligence services surveilled this guy for the CIA.

But we don't actually know whether that happened because the Italian government has sealed the pertinent records on State security grounds.

John

The CIA dropped the ball, IMHO.

Should'a subbed it out to Blackwater. No doubt, they have operatives who deal in "wet work".

Still don't know what the Eyeties are trying to accomplish.

Chas

Blackwater.
Do you know any of those guys?
I do.
Wannabes, from what I've seen.

Dave