ITALY: US DIPLOMAT ACCUSED OF HEADING CIA KIDNAP OPERATION

ADNKI ^ | September 30 | AKI

[RDTF]

Prosecutors in Italy have issued three more arrest warrants over the kidnapping of an Egyptian imam based in Milan by a team of CIA agents. Among those wanted in connection with the operation, which led to the man - Abu Omar - being tortured in Egypt, is a 38-year-old female CIA agent who was working as a diplomat at the US embassy in Rome and is said to have led the operation.

Betnie Medero, who was second secretary at the embassy until a few months ago, is one of 22 CIA agents now wanted by Italian police over the kidnapping, which happened in a street in Milan on 17 February, 2003. Medero arrived in Italy in August 2001 with diplomatic accreditation and oversaw the operation, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports. On Thursday police entered her house in Rome but found it deserted. She is believed to currently be at the US embassy in Mexico City.

[untrained skeptic]

" If they start seizing US embassy personnel, they should expect their own embassy personnel to be expelled from the US."

If they start seizing US embassy personell they should expect that we will come an get those people.

The story of torture is unsubstantiated, and the supposed victim is back in jail in a forengn country, after having been released? That doesn't add up.

If this person was taken into custody, the Italian government denying being involved doesn't doesn't impress me as being very credible either.

It's very unlikely that we kidnapped a person in Italy against their government's wishes.

However, if they're harboring terrorists, we should do a bit more than just collect the terrorists for questioning. We should boot their diplomats out of our country and cut of diplomatic relations.

[Blessed]

>The CIA is prevented by law from abducting people on the streets in Italy, too.<

No they are not if the person is an international terrorist and the President orders it.

[mewzilla]

FWIW, according to what I've read on this link, page 3, looks like it's legal on our end.

[piasa]

Betnie Medero, who was second secretary at the embassy until a few months ago, is one of 22 CIA agents now wanted by Italian police over the kidnapping, which happened in a street in Milan on 17 February, 2003. Medero arrived in Italy in August 2001 with diplomatic accreditation and oversaw the operation, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports. On Thursday police entered her house in Rome but found it deserted. She is believed to currently be at the US embassy in Mexico City.

Maybe Valerie Plame Wilson was jealous of Betnie's Rome slot -- someone naming names or just fiction?

[piasa]

Reminds me of Agee’s running off at the mouth.