CIA abduction in Italy shows U.S. bungling - experts

[CheapyD]

CIA abduction in Italy shows U.S. bungling - experts
Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:53 PM BST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA agents charged with kidnapping a Muslim cleric in Milan appear to have bungled their way into an international incident by ignoring the most basic rules of the spy trade, experts say.

Far from the suave discretion of James Bond, experts say the operatives who snatched radical Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr on February 17, 2003, sound more like the bumbling secret agent Austin Powers of movie fame.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-06-29T185326Z_01_KWA967891_RTRUKOC_0_SECURITY-ITALY-CIA.xml

 

[Quackzilla]

Wait, they were in ing ITALY?

We have an extradition treaty with Italy!

 

[MrBadExample]

Thanks for the link. I heard this story mentioned last week on talk radio but I hadn't heard any further details.

 

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Add this to the "Why do I give a ." file that's overbrimming.

Like I truly care if any nation on Earth is pissed at us for grabbing murderous bastards even if it is off their own soil.

 

[Quackzilla]

So, PAD, does that mean we have a powerful mandate as supreme totalitariion rulers of the world?

 

[alonzomourning23]

I wonder if PAD would care if other governments started kidnapping criminals in new york and chicago and smuggling them to madrid, paris, london etc.

 

[PittsburghAfterDark]

[quote name='alonzomourning23']I wonder if PAD would care if other governments started kidnapping criminals in new york and chicago and smuggling them to madrid, paris, london etc.[/QUOTE]

Nope, wouldn't care a lick. Key word being.... criminals. In our case the word was terrorist.

The Russians did it/do it. The Israelis do it. The Koreans do it. It's unusual for intelligence services to do this but not unheard of.

 

[alonzomourning23]

[quote name='PittsburghAfterDark']Nope, wouldn't care a lick. Key word being.... criminals. In our case the word was terrorist.

The Russians did it/do it. The Israelis do it. The Koreans do it. It's unusual for intelligence services to do this but not unheard of.[/QUOTE]

And when/if they get caught, they usually have problems. Most countries don't seem to take kindly to it.

And in this case, the italians knew of him and were using him to try to get other people as well, the americans screwed it all up.

 

[PittsburghAfterDark]

There's shit to pay but usually intelligence "section chiefs" which is nothing more than a "legal" spy is at the center of the operation. At best there's a scuffle of faxes and protests between foreign ministries and the state department. At worst the "legal" spies are sent home in disgrace for blowing themselves up professionally.

Questionable extradition is something that worldwide diplomatic services can deal with. The line in the sand is when you get into wetworks, which is assasination. No government on this planet won't NOT go ballistic at foreign nationals killing either defectors, spies, traitors etc. on their soil. The last time I can even remember this making the news is when the Russians killed a Bulgarian or Romanian defector of some note in London in the 80's. The did it with a ricin tipped umbrella they pricked him with walking down the street.

Think about it; how did Adolf Eichmann end up in an Israeli courtroom one day soon after being spotted on a beach in Brazil? These actions aren't unprecedented.

Oh, and if a Kerry or Clinton administration was doing it I'd be just as supportive of it. National security grounds surpass any party issues with me.