Posted on 01/17/2006 3:29:21 PM PST by Patriot from Philly
ROME - Italian prosecutors investigating the killing of an Italian secret service agent at a checkpoint in Iraq plan to charge a U.S. soldier with murder and attempted murder, Italian media reported Tuesday.
U.S. gunfire killed Nicola Calipari near the checkpoint on March 4, as the agent was heading to Baghdad airport in a car with an Italian journalist who had just been released after being held hostage by militants.
The ANSA and Apcom news agencies reported Tuesday that prosecutors planned to charge the soldier with murdering Calipari and attempting to murder the agent driving the car as well as the journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, who were both wounded during the incident. State TV news Tg1, and private SKY TG 24 television news also carried the report.
The prosecutor in charge of the case, Franco Ionta, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Barry Venable, said the Pentagon had not seen any charges actually filed and declined to comment.
An Italian government report in May blamed U.S. military authorities for failing to signal there was a military checkpoint ahead on the road. It also contended that stress, inexperience and fatigue played a role in the shooting.
The Americans insisted that the car was going fast enough to alarm the soldiers. The Italians have said the vehicle was traveling slowly.
Police and ballistic experts assigned by Rome prosecutors to examine the car have concluded it was traveling slower than the U.S. military claimed. They agreed with U.S. findings that only one soldier fired at the car.
The shooting angered Italians, already largely opposed to the war in Iraq, and led many to step up calls for withdrawing the Italian contingent. Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who sent some 3,000 troops to Iraq after Saddam Hussein's ouster, insisted the incident would not affect troop levels or Italy's friendship with Washington.
You did just fine my friend.
Looks excellent -- ya done good.
Like the kid that was shot while waving the air pelelt gun the other day, you have to expect this sort of thing. Drive towards soldiers in a war zone and don't stop, someone is going to shoot.
You did fine.
Charging a military roadblock at any speed can ruin your whole day, can't it?
It may have been an accident, I doubt it was intentional murder.
Yes, the Humvee's and armed men weren't very clear.
Yes, this is ridiculous. The US investigated this case, why charge a GI with "murder" for a friendly fire incident. I think the US will have to get much firmer with its "allies" on these cases.
Looks good and you waited at least a day to post. What restraint. Unlike the Italians. I say come and get him yourselves jerks.
rhetorical question:
Does Italy have jurisdiction over something that happened in Iraq?
The US is not party to the "international court", and this is exactly the reason we are not.
I was in Italy last week and noticed that they practically have Calipari up for sainthood. It should also be pointed out that the way Italians drive is normally foot to the floor and all over the road. Speed limits and lane demarcations are only a suggestion.
And by that I mean you did not join today.
Italy can go pound sand.
Apart from using the word "right" instead of "correctly" your first post is flawless. I don't think I've ever seen one like it, which is why I had to find something.
Italy is looking for French/Aruban boycott of tourism and products
How about all of the mobsters they sent us?
As opposed to all of those dangerous Scots who came here.....
Europeans are not adults yet -
The Italian secret service agent was killed trying to run a checkpoint. His death was intentional, it was not murder. IMHO his death was suicide by American soldier. The Italian gov't should repay the Army the cost of the ammunition.
"ballistic experts assigned by Rome prosecutors to examine the car have concluded it was traveling slower than the U.S. military claimed."
I totally doubt the speed of the car could be measured with any kind of certainty based on ballistics of the bullets.
I'm surprised there would be any legal mechanism by which a soldier acting under orders and following procedures in a war zone could be charged with 'murder'. Under those circumstances, a soldier is not an individual, but only a part of the military force. How could he be held accountable as an individual ?
If I recall, weren't the Italian agents in Iraq acting on their own ? Their activities were not coordinated or sanctioned by US forces, were they ? Or am I mis-remembering something and the checkpoint was supposed to be expecting this car ?
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