Posted on 01/31/2007 9:20:21 PM PST by Mark Felton
FRANKFURT: In the most serious legal challenge yet to the Central Intelligence Agency's secret transfer of terrorism suspects, a German court has issued an arrest warrant for 13 people in the mistaken kidnapping and jailing of a German citizen of Lebanese descent.
Prosecutors in Munich said the suspects, whom they did not identify, were part of a CIA "abduction team," which seized the man, Khaled el-Masri, in Macedonia in late 2003 and flew him to Afghanistan. He was imprisoned there for five months and has said he was shackled, beaten and interrogated about his alleged ties to Al Qaeda before being released without charges.
His ordeal is the best-documented case of the CIA's practice of "extraordinary rendition," in which terrorism suspects were seized and sent for interrogation to countries where torture is practiced.
Stern said investigators would seek to establish the true identities of the 13 people, most of whom are believed to use aliases. They include the four- member crew of the Boeing 737 that picked up Masri, as well as a mechanic and several CIA operatives, people familiar with the case said.
The issuing of an arrest warrant represents a major expansion of the legal assault on the CIA's rendition program in Europe. Italian prosecutors are seeking indictments against 25 CIA operatives and Italy's former intelligence chief for the kidnapping of a militant Egyptian cleric in 2003.
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On Wednesday, a German radio station, NDR, revealed what it said were the names of the 13 people — 11 men and two women.
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"This is unbelievably important for our case," Gnjidic said in an interview. "It's the first direct sign of the German government against the CIA that they did the wrong thing."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
But but but we're a sovereign nation? What? They did what????
This is pretty small potatoes. If the various governments of the world really wish to get involved in aiding and abetting terrorism, why don't they pony up and initiate programs by which terrorists can obtain false passports, false visas, disguises, weapons, and cash? It would be so much more effective.
Maybe they should spend more time on hunting down the terrorist instead of the CIA!
Actually once the terrorist crosses the open border into the US they can go to any Fiesta grocery store in the US and get false social security #'s, drivers licenses, untraceable cell phones, unregistered cars, sunglasses, prayer mats and xxx magazines.
The only way Germany will ever arrest any of the 13 for their supposed crime is if they set foot in Germany or another country that will extradite them to Germany, or if Germany sends their agents here on an extraordinary rendition mission of their own. The current U.S. administration isn't going to extradite them.
Considering that f-ing Germany harbored some of the key conspirators in the 9/11 plot, they are the last place on earth that should get in a lather about counter-terrorism measures. Instead, they should focus upon getting their own sad house in order.
Our position should be that the agents don't exist, the kidnapping never occurred, the agency the non-existent agents don't work for doesn't know anything about it, and in fact it doesn't exist either.
It suggests a new publicity campaign - "It's a terrorist fiesta at Fiesta - olay!"
Uh.. sorry about that "olay." I haven't got the proper diacritics for an "ole."
However, I submit that the situation you describe is a CIA-backed counter-terrorist scheme. It's those xxx magazines, you know. All those young Moslem males will disable their gun hands with extended monkey slapping and chicken choking. Let's just hope the magazine racks hold plenty of copies of Playgirl - and, for that matter, Playcamel and Playgoat.
--Playcamel and Playgoat.--
They need to look up Robert Redford and his bestiality-mongering buddies at the Sundance festival.
Turning over the agents would compromise agents in the field. Use the Fitzmas defense.
Macedonia is not in Germany. Among other things, where is their jurisdiction?
You just took the words out of my mouth. But considering Germany's past we should not be surprised.
"On Wednesday, a German radio station, NDR, revealed what it said were the names of the 13 people — 11 men and two women."
I hope one of them is Valerie Plame.
I'm sure we're all so blase when foreign countries kidnap our citizens. "Oh, they were a terrorist, if you say so I'll believe you absolutely". We went to war with England in 1812 over Americans being pressed off of our vessels. I hardly think Germanies' reaction is overboard.
Um...so did the States right up until that horrific day.
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