ROME: Italy insisted anew Thursday it had no involvement in the alleged CIA kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan in 2003, after news reports said that an Italian paramilitary police officer took part in it. The Egyptian, Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, was allegedly kidnapped on a Milan street on Feb. 13, 2003, and 22 purported CIA agents have been accused in the case by Milan prosecutors. The office of outgoing Premier Silvio Berlusconi said in a statement that it was reiterating with the same strength and the same vigor as ever that the government and the secret services had absolutely nothing to do with the abduction. The alleged involvement of a warrant officer of the Carabinieri paramilitary corps was reported Thursday by leading Italian newspapers, including Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica and La Stampa, as well as by state radio. According to the reports, the Italian, identified only as L.P., had confessed to Milan Prosecutor Armando Spataro, who is investigating the case, that he took part in the operation. Spataro s office said the prosecutor was not available to comment on the reports. Carabinieri special operations office in Rome said no one was immediately available to comment. According to the reports, the officer stopped Nasr on a Milan street, pretending to be carrying out a random document check to allow the CIA agents to sweep in and abduct the Egyptian. The reports said that the Milan prosecutors were investigating if any Italian secret service officers were also involved or had been informed of the operation. Berlusconi s government has steadfastly denied any prior knowledge of, or involvement in, the operation. The alleged abduction is believed to be part of CIA s extraordinary rendition program, in which terrorism suspects are transferred to third countries without court approval, subjecting them to possible torture. Spataro is seeking the extradition of 22 purported CIA agents accused in the abduction. Berlusconi s government decided against forwarding Spataro s extradition request to the United States, but Spataro has said he would ask the incoming center-left government of Romano Prodi to forward his request to Washington. AP
