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Europe

Rome judge throws out case against US soldier

2007-10-26

ROME (AFP) — A Rome judge on Thursday threw out a case against a US soldier for killing a top Italian intelligence agent in Iraq in 2005, saying Italy does not have jurisdiction to try him. Took him long enough. Specialist Mario Lozano had gone on trial in absentia in April, accused of "voluntary homicide" over the shooting of Nicola Calipari, deputy director of Italian military intelligence, near Baghdad airport in March 2005. Thousands attended Calipari's funeral in a case that strained relations between Washington and Rome, whose separate investigations into the incident came to widely differing conclusions. Calipari, who had just freed left-wing Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena from kidnappers, shielded her during the hail of gunfire unleashed on their car from a mobile checkpoint. Sgrena, who was seriously wounded, was suing for damages at the trial. The US probe exonerated Lozano, concluding that US troops were not informed that the car carrying the freed journalist was passing through. They say it was driving too fast and did not slow down when signalled. Lozano, 37, insists he merely did his duty in opening fire on the Italians' car. A New York National Guardsman, Lozano broke two years of public silence on the eve of the trial when he told the New York Post that Sgrena's vehicle was moving at speed towards his checkpoint. "If you hesitate, you come home in a box -- and I didn't want to come home in a box. I did what any soldier would do in my position," Lozano said. The US side maintains that the Italian authorities had informed the US forces of the operation to free Sgrena after a month in captivity and that there was a breakdown in their communications when the Italians' car was heading to the airport. Rome has never accepted these explanations and refused to sign a joint report, and its own investigation was signed by, among others, the pro-US then defence minister Antonio Martino. The Italians determined that the shooting was the result of an error of judgement and inexperienced soldiers patrolling the airport road and concluded that Lozano was probably frightened when he fired on the three Italians. Ballistics experts found that driver Andrea Carpani, another secret service officer, was driving at a normal speed and that US troops gave no warnings before opening fire. The Italian probe also found that there were no signposts warning of the checkpoint. Reacting to Thursday's decision, Sgrena told AFP: "I find this ruling incredible. US arrogance has won." She added: "Calipari was celebrated as a hero, and now they don't want to know what happened. This is very serious." Simone Sabattini, a lawyer for the civil plaintiffs, told AFP that Thursday's ruling would be appealed. The higher cassation court will review only the formal aspects of the proceedings. The prosecution had argued that the US military had forfeited its option of trying Lozano. "There were a lot of reasons" why Rome does not have jurisdiction, said Lozano's lawyer Alberto Biffani, who had argued that as a member of the US military, Lozano was "a person who represented an organ of the United States" and enjoyed immunity. He also cited a letter by then US secretary of state Colin Powell that was attached to a UN resolution stating that each member of the US-led coalition "has the responsibility of jurisdiction over its own forces." Prosecutor Erminio Amelio told the court last month that each coalition member had "concurrent jurisdiction" and that by opting not to try Lozano, the United States had "officially declined its potential active jurisdiction" in the case. Powell's letter to the UN Security Council was "unilateral," he added, and does not have the force of law.

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Iraq

U.S. Soldier Tells Paper How He Killed Italian Agent

2007-05-09

Rome, 9 May (AKI) - Mario Lozano, the US marine who admitted to killing an Italian intelligence official in Iraq, told Italy's main paper Corriere della Sera in an interview published Wednesday he was sorry "I killed one of your heroes" but stressed that the car Nicola Calipari was travelling in failed to stop at a blocking point, forcing him to fire at it." "Two days before the tragedy two of my friends were blown up at a checkpoint by a car bomb," Lozano told Corriere. "But ours, on that terrible 4 March 2005, was a blocking point, not a checkpoint. We had received the order not to make any vehicle pass because ambassador John Negroponte was in the area." Lozano, 37, is standing trial in Rome over the death of an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq in March 2005. After a brief hearing in April, the trial is scheduled to resume on 14 May. The agent, 51-year-old Calipari, was shot dead as he was travelling in a car to Baghdad airport to escort journalist Giuliana Sgrena back home. Sgrena, an anti-war journalist, had just been freed by kidnappers after a month in captivity. Lozano, who will likely be tried in absentia as he has been cleared of all charges in the US, is accused of Calipari's murder and the attempted murder of Sgrena and another agent, Andrea Carpani, who were travelling together in the car. Lozano told Corriere he has pictures taken at the scene of the incident that prove his version of facts: "I have already handed them over to Roman magistrates. They leave no doubt on the dynamics of the accident." The incident placed under serious strain US-Italian relations with separate investigations from the two sides giving very different results on the shooting at a checkpoint on the road to the Baghdad airport, in which Calipari was shot and killed as he shielded Sgrena's body, who was wounded in the shoulder. The US military said the car the two were in rapidly approached a checkpoint and ignored repeated warnings to stop. Sgrena and Carpani instead said the vehicle was traveling at a low speed and braked very swiftly when a light shone on it. "The car was travelling at 80 km/h. As my pictures show, I fired when it was about one hundred metres away and, contrary to the other cars visible on the horizon, did not stop when I fired warning shots into air," claimed Lozano in the interview. "At the end the driver waved a cell phone. I should have fired again, as the protocol says, given that cell phones in Iraq are often carbomb detonators but instead I preferred to risk my life." Lozano, who is still serving in the US army, told Corriere della Sera he is scheduled to leave for Afghanistan in November.

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Europe

Italy still wants justice from U.S. for Iraq shooting

2007-03-05

Italy has raised the stakes in a spat with the United States over the killing by a U.S. soldier of an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq, saying Washington must set things right by assuming responsibility for the death. Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema openly challenged the United States at a weekend commemoration of Nicola Calipari, the agent killed on March 4, 2005 at a U.S. military checkpoint near Baghdad airport. His speech made headlines such as that in Sunday's La Repubblica newspaper of Rome: "D'Alema accuses the United States over the Calipari case." Calipari became a national hero for securing freedom for kidnapped journalist Giuliana Sgrena. He died shielding her from gunfire at the checkpoint just after her release. A Rome judge last month ordered the U.S. soldier to stand trial for the killing but Washington has refused to hand him over and considers the case closed. "The name of the person who is believed to have fired the shots is known. Whatever the truth is, this was a lost opportunity for the Americans," D'Alema said. "Right now, there is a need for justice to be done." Mario Lozano, of the U.S. Army's 69th Infantry Regiment, has been charged with voluntary homicide for the shooting. The trial begins next month and Lozano will be tried in absentia. While the defence departments of Italy and the United States say the killing was an accident in a war zone, Italian prosecutors will try Lozano on charges of murder for Calipari and attempted murder for the two other people in the car. Lozano, of the New York Army National Guard, was the gunner at the U.S. checkpoint. The U.S. military says the car carrying the Italians did not slow down but Italian prosecutors contest this. Contest it? I think they've already decided their version of the truth. D'Alema said Washington should have behaved the way it did over an incident in 1998, when a low-flying U.S. jet on a training mission in northern Italy clipped the cables of a ski gondola at the northern town of Cavalese. Twenty people were killed when the gondola crashed into the Cermis mountain. In that incident a U.S. military court convicted a Marine pilot of obstructing justice but absolved him of manslaughter. Still, the United States offered compensation to victims of the families and the U.S. ambassador at the time, Thomas Foglietta, went to the area and literally got down on his knees to ask forgiveness in the name of former President Bill Clinton. "The American government assumed responsibility with an act of great political and moral value (for the Cermis deaths)," D'Alema said. "This has not happened this time." Because the circumstances are completely different. In a Sunday TV talk show, deputy prime minister Francesco Rutelli backed D'Alema, saying that as a U.S. ally, Italy deserved "more than a bureaucratic response" from Washington, particularly since Calipari had "sacrificed" his life. Calipari's widow Rosa has denounced Washington for exonerating Lozano and the former government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for accepting the shooting was an accident. Sgrena, the freed Italian journalist, was wounded in the shooting and is seeking damages from Washington. Of course she is. She'll be alleging torture next.

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Europe

U.S. Soldier to Be Tried in Italy

2007-02-07

A judge Wednesday ordered a U.S. soldier to stand trial in absentia for the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence agent at a checkpoint in Baghdad, the prosecutor said. Spc. Mario Lozano is indicted for murder and attempted murder in the death of Nicola Calipari, who was shot on March 4, 2005, on his way to the Baghdad airport shortly after securing the release of an Italian journalist who had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital, prosecutor Pietro Saviotti said. Another agent, who was driving the car, and the journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, were wounded. "This looks to me like the first step on a long road toward truth and justice, and I hope justice will come in the end," said a visibly emotional Rosa Calipari, the agent's widow. Lozano was not at the hearing and his whereabouts are not known, but defendants can be tried in absentia in Italy. Judge Sante Spinaci set his trial date for April 17. Prosecutors so far have not sought the soldier's arrest. Lozano, a member of the New York-based 69th Infantry Regiment, has said through friends in the military that he had no idea the car was carrying the Italians. The case has strained U.S.-Italian relations. The United States and Italy drew different conclusions in reports on the incident. U.S. authorities have said the vehicle was traveling fast, alarming soldiers, who feared an insurgent attack. Italian officials claimed the car was traveling at normal speed and accused the U.S. military of failing to signal there was a checkpoint. Calipari's death angered Italians, already largely opposed to the war in Iraq, and the agent was mourned as a national hero.

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Europe

American GI's Indictment Sought in Italy

2006-06-19

ROME (AP) -- Prosecutors have requested the indictment of a U.S. soldier over the shooting of an Italian intelligence agent at a checkpoint in Iraq last year, a prosecutor said Monday. Let me think.....ummmm, no Authorities were seeking the indictment on charges of murder and attempted murder, the official said on condition of anonymity because of a new law allowing only the chief prosecutor to speak to the media. Prosecutor Erminio Amelio previously has identified the U.S. soldier as Mario Lozano. Local newspapers have reported that Lozano is from New York. From Wikipedia: Mario Lozano is a soldier in the US Army, who acquired notoriety after killing Nicola Calipari in an incident on Route Irish. The United States sought to protect his anonymity, but a blunder in data security by the Coalition Forces in Iraq revealed the names of all personnel involved in the shooting (the PDF report, written with Microsoft's word processor, containing all the names not even crypted accessible on demand). Lozano was a resident of the Bronx and Specialist in the First Battalion of the 69th Infantry Regiment, New York State National Guard and of the 3rd Infantry Division, based in Manhattan, New York. How ironic is that? An Italian 'journalist', driven by an Italian agent, tries to run a roadblock in Baghdad, and gets shot by Mario from da Bronx. Fabrizio Cardinali, Lozano's court-appointed lawyer, said last week he expected his client would be tried in absentia for murder and attempted murder. Officials at the U.S. Embassy could not immediately be reached for comment. The death of Nicola Calipari by U.S. gunfire strained relations between Italy and the United States. The agent was heading by car to Baghdad airport on March 4, 2005, shortly after securing the release of an Italian journalist who had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital when he was shot at the checkpoint. Another agent, who was driving the car, and the journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, were wounded. Italy and the United States issued separate reports on the incident, after failing to agree on a shared version of events. U.S. authorities have said the vehicle was traveling fast, alarming soldiers, who feared an insurgent attack. Italian officials claimed the car was traveling at normal speed (well, for italian's) and blamed U.S. military for failing to signal there was a checkpoint.

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Iraq

Tough Times for Terrorists

2006-04-07

April 7, 2006: It's shaping up to be a bad year for al Qaeda in Iraq. For example: @ Following months of rumors, it's pretty much been confirmed that al Qaeda-in-Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been demoted. An Iraqi Sunni now heads the operation, with Zarqawi just dealing with "military matters." Even in that respect, Zarqawi is probably on a short leash. His strategy of all out attacks on Shia Arab Iraqis didn't work, and angered many Sunni Arabs because they lost people as well. Even attacks on U.S. troops were a failure. The Americans were hard to kill, fought back with terrible effect, and many of the roadside bombs used went off in Sunni Arab neighborhoods. That was because the guys planting the bombs were less likely to be betrayed to the police in Sunni Arab areas. But when the bomb went off, the terrorists often did not warn nearby Sunni Arabs (because that would tip off the Americans, who were quick to pick on the meaning of no civilians along a stretch of road.) When Sunni Arab leaders asked Zarqawi to back off, Zarqawi went after the Sunni Arab leaders. That led to open warfare between Sunni Arab tribes and al Qaeda, with the terrorists losing. This, more than anything else, led to Zarqawi's demotion. @ Last month, U.S. troops captured Zarqawi lieutenant Mohammed Hila Hammad Obeidi. This guy was, like many of the terrorists, a former intelligence officer for Saddam. Obeidi was believed responsible for kidnapping of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena last year, and organizing an assassination campaign against government officials. Obeidi is one of over a dozen key al Qaeda leaders captured or killed in Iraq during the past year. @ Last year, al Qaeda boasted that they were going to establish a "liberated zone" in western Iraq. This is a thinly populated (mainly by pro-Saddam Sunni Arabs) area. A series of American offensives in the area kept al Qaeda groups on the run, and the local Sunni Arabs unimpressed with the ability of the terrorists to fight. Then Zarqawi's tactics turned the Sunni Arabs against al Qaeda, and by early 2006, most of western Iraq was lethally unwelcome for the terrorists. Sunni Arabs were openly welcoming the Americans. @ You can't beat the trends. After three years of boating of big victories just around the corner, the Arab world has resigned itself to the fact that al Qaeda is all smoke and no fire. No one can deny that most Iraqis hate al Qaeda. Big time. This has become accepted wisdom throughout the Arab world. All the things al Qaeda promised to do (expel the Americans, stop elections and the formation of a democratic government, and so on) they have failed to do. No one likes a loser. @ Al Qaeda is having a lot of trouble recruiting. No one wants to join a losing team. There are more Iraqi terrorists fleeing to Saudi Arabia, than are coming north to join the jihad. There are still volunteers coming over from Syria, but many more are getting caught, or turned in by Sunni Arabs who live along the border. The Americans are paying bounties for terrorist border crossers, and Sunni Arabs see this as a justifiable source of income. On the down side, the gangs are still conducting an unprecedented crime wave. This got started during the 1990s, as the UN sanctions left more and more Iraqis unemployed, and desperate. Even Saddam could not halt the growing crime wave. Months before he was overthrown, Saddam opened the jails and freed thousands of the criminals he had not killed yet. It's still not clear why he did this, but it gave the crooks time to get organized, because after Saddam fell, the Sunni Arab secret police and organized street thugs, who kept the gangsters at bay, were gone. It's been gangster heaven ever since. While there are more and more police on the streets, and jails are filling up with more hoodlums than terrorists, the crime rate is still very high. The corruption in the government is still a big problem. While there are billions of dollars in oil money and foreign aid coming in for reconstruction, Iraqis still see a lot of stealing. Then again, Iraqis are at least admitting that this is not the fault of the Americans. It's Iraqis stealing from Iraqis, and Iraqis have to solve this one. The corruption has made politics more complicated than it has to be. Political differences are not as divisive as is the competition for key government jobs that give you the best opportunities to steal public money. The squabbling over which party gets what has prevented the new parliament from putting together a new government. It's inefficient, and embarrassing. And it's Iraqis doing it to Iraqis. This is very unpleasant for most Iraqis. Religious zealots are often as bad as the gangsters, with their demands for "contributions," and physical violence against those who are not "Islamic enough." Iraqis know that they are descended from the people who first made beer and wine. Despite Islamic laws against alcohol, Iraqis like to enjoy a cold beer, or something stronger. But not if the Islamic lifestyle police are in the neighborhoods. The corruption among so many Iraqi politicians, and maintenance of private armies, means that, while Saddam is gone, there are still Iraqis who would like to replace him as dictator. Democracy isn't something you just put on like a coat, and it works. You have to work at it, and while many Iraqis are, there are many more who would like to bring back the bad old days, just with a different cast of characters.

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Iraq

Al-Zarqawi Aide Arrested For Sgrena Kidnap

2006-04-06

Baghdad, 6 April (AKI) - The key suspect in the kidnapping of Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena has been captured, the U.S. military said on Thursday. Mohammed Hila Hammad al-Ubaydi, a former senior intelligence official under Saddam Hussein with close ties to the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was arrested on 7 March, the statement said. Sgrena was freed last year but an Italian intelligence officer escorting her to freedom was shot and killed by U.S. forces at a checkpoint near Baghdad airport. Al-Ubaydi was sought for questioning in several assassination attempts the statement added.. The military said Ubaydi was the former aide to the intelligence chief of staff under Saddam Hussein, and now heads a group it identified as the Secret Islamic Army in northern Babel province. Ubaydi, also known as Abu Ayman, was captured a month ago, but the news had not been announced until DNA testing could verify his identity, the military said. Plus it gave us time to suck out his brains The Iraqi Central Investigating Court in Baghdad issued an arrest warrant for Ubaydi on October 17 last year, accusing him of committing terrorist acts. As well as his involvement in the abduction of Giuliana Sgrena, Ubaydi is also suspected of kidnapping and killing several hostages in Iraq and is believed to have carried out attacks on military forces and citizens. Authorities said he had been the target of an intense manhunt by Iraqi and other intelligence agencies and was picked up in the Al-Mahmudiya neighborhood of southern Baghdad. Italian freelance journalist Giuliana Sgrena was kidnapped in Baghdad on February 4, 2005, and was freed a month later after her release was negotiated by Italian agent Nicola Calipari. He was escorting her to the Baghdad airport when he was shot to death by U.S. troops at a checkpoint. Sgrena was wounded in the shoulder. The US dismissed the shooting was an accident, and no disciplinary action was taken against the soldiers involved. However, the Italians disputed the conclusion.

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Europe

Italy Seeks U.S. Help in Shooting Probe

2006-01-18

ROME (AP) -- Rome prosecutors sought help from the United States on Wednesday in locating an American soldier believed to have shot an Italian secret service agent at a checkpoint in Iraq last year. So far, the United States has not responded to Italian requests to trace the soldier's identity and hometown, prosecutor Erminio Amelio said. "The U.S. never answered any of our requests. We did not receive any cooperation," Amelio told The Associated Press. "They have never answered and we don't think they ever will." His name is Joe. G.I. Joe. You might remember him, he kicked the Germans out of your sorry excuse for a country. The U.S. Embassy in Rome said it had no immediate comment. It's not like the military would trust the State Department with that info. Prosecutors intend to charge the soldier in the death of Italian agent Nicola Calipari, who was killed by U.S. gunfire as he was heading to Baghdad airport on March 4 after securing the release of an Italian hostage. Another agent and the freed hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, were wounded. "There's no persecutory intention against a person or the United States," Amelio said. "We're checking on facts and responsibilities." He added that Italian paramilitary police had been asked to locate the soldier so prosecutors can notify him of the end of their investigation, a preliminary step before requesting an indictment, possibly on murder and attempted murder charges. You want him? Try and take him.

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Europe

Soldier Investigated in Italian's Death

2005-12-22

ROME (AP) -- A U.S. soldier is being investigated for his alleged role in the March killing in Baghdad of an Italian secret service agent, who had just secured the release of a journalist held hostage, a prosecutor and news reports said Thursday. Note that it is Italian prosecutors doing the investigating, not Americans. So it don't mean squat Rome prosecutors are investigating the March 4 death of Nicola Calipari, who was killed by U.S. gunfire near a checkpoint as he headed to the Baghdad airport with Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who was held hostage by militants for a month. Prosecutor Franco Ionta confirmed reports in Italian news agencies ANSA and Apcom that the soldier is being investigated, but he refused to discuss details. The reports said prosecutors are considering charging the soldier with murder. Lots of luck with that one Prosecutors did not identify the soldier, who is believed to be the only one to fire at the car. But, I thought the car was shredded by hundreds of bullets? That's what Giuliana said. According to Apcom, prosecutors also are considering attempted murder charges concerning the other two people in the car: Sgrena and a second secret service agent, who was driving. Both were wounded. The U.S. Embassy in Rome declined to identify the soldier or comment on the report. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, "This was a tragic situation, but as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed." Rome and Washington issued separate reports on the killing, which has strained relations between the two countries. The Italian government report, issued 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, a rented Toyota Corolla, was going fast enough to alarm the soldiers. The Italians have said the vehicle was traveling slowly on the dark, rain-slicked road. Slow by Italian standards would be going like a bat out of hell by American Police and ballistic experts assigned by Rome prosecutors to examine the car have concluded the Toyota was traveling slower than the U.S. military claimed. However, 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. Berlusconi met with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Spogli on Thursday, but the Calipari shooting was not discussed, Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini told Apcom.

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Iraq

One Group Eyed in Two Iraq Kidnappings

2005-12-01

Four Christian peace activists held hostage in Iraq were kidnapped at the same place where an Italian journalist was abducted, raising the possibility one group carried out both attacks, police said Thursday. The style of the abduction also was similar: The activists were seized Saturday in the vicinity of a mosque near Baghdad University. A car blocked their car, gunmen got out, threw the driver and translator out and drove away with the four captives, security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Giuliana Sgrena, a reporter for the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto, was seized Feb. 4 and held for a month by a group calling itself Mujahedeen Without Borders. That previously unknown group has not been heard from since, but may now be using a different name... (cough, cough) SOCOM (cough).

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Iraq

Italian TV Alleges U.S. Used Chemical Weapons In Fallujah

2005-11-07

Rome, 7 Nov. (AKI) - A documentary to be aired on Tuesday by Italian state satellite TV channel RAI News 24 alleges that US troops used chemical weapons during their assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah in November last year. The documentary - 'Fallujah - the hidden massacre' - uses witness accounts from former US soldiers, Fallujah residents, video footage and photographs, to support its claim that contrary to US State Department denials, white phosphorous was used indiscriminately on the city, causing terrible injuries to civilians, including women and children. "I heard the order being issued to be careful because white phosphorous was being used on Fallujah. In military slang this is known as Willy Pete. Phosphorous burns bodies, melting the flesh right down to the bone," says one former US solider, interviewed by the documentary's director, Sigfrido Ranucci. Wonder if he's anyone we'd know? "I saw the burned bodies of women and children. The phosophorous explodes and forms a plume. Who ever is within a 150 metre radius has no hope," the former soldier adds. Was it seared into your brain? "A rain of fire came down on the city, and people targeted by the different coloured substances began to burn. We found people dead, with strange injuries, with their clothes intact," a biologist from Fallujah, Mohamad Tareq al-Deraji tells Ranucci. No doubt a un-biased source The evidence in 'Fallujah - the hidden massacre' claims to show the US forces did not use phosphorous in the legitimate way - to highlight enemy positions - but dropped the substance indiscriminately on the city, and on a massive scale. The documentary also shows the terrible damage wrought by the US bombardment of Fallujah, and the carnage to civilians, some of whom lay sleeping. Equally disturbingly, a document in the report claims to prove that the U.S. forces have used the MK77 form of Napalm - the chemical used with devastating effect on civilians during the Vietnam war - on civilians in Iraq. "I had gathered testimonials on the use of phosphorous and Napalm in Iraq from several refugees from Fallujah, and wanted to tell the world about it, but my kidnappers would not allow me to," said Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, held hostage in Iraq earlier this year, during the documentary. Oh, her. Little Miss Roadblock Runner. Like her "kidnappers" wouldn't have wanted this so-called "war-crime" reported The use of white phosophorous and Napalm is prohibited by UN conventions. Moroever, the United States signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997.

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Europe

Al-Faqih sez Italy's next unless they ditch the US

2005-07-12

A Saudi dissident exiled in London has warned Italy that it will be the next to be hit after London. "Italy should be very careful, al-Qaeda will strike it soon. Following its strategy, that is the most logical thing it will do," Saad al-Faqih, a surgeon the US believes has helped finance al-Qaeda, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. So the Sooodi surgeon threatens to create bomb victims, whilst the Joooo surgeon works to save their lives ... "After Spain, Italy was the weakest link in the chain of allies in Iraq," he told the newspaper, pointing out that the country's relations with America have subsequently worsened. "Osama bin Laden will be well aware of that. He follows everything. The murder of your secret service agent in Baghdad [Nicola Calipari, who was shot dead by an American soldier at a checkpoint in March, as he took newly freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena to the airport] certainly won't have passed him by, or the anger of the Milan judge over the illegal kidnapping carried out in your country by the CIA. It could be that these diplomatic differences with Washington have convinced al-Qaeda to strike London before Rome or Milan, but it is only a question of time," he said. Al-Faqih, a medical doctor who has lived in the British capital for many years, vehemently denies any links with Osama bin Laden's group and his supporters claim he is simply an advocate for peaceful reform in the Saudi kingdom. However, the US has indicated him as a suspected associate of al-Qaeda and has frozen the funds of his group, the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA). He describes himself as "only an observer", even though he is said to have crossed paths with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, fighting the Soviets there, alongside the Mujahadeen. He says he is so sure that Italy will be attacked "from observing al-Qaeda's behaviour and from a knowledge of the Koran. The London bombs are a message to the United Kingdom and the whole of Europe. Osama was explicit immediately after the Madrid attacks. He offered the Old Continent [Europe] a unilateral truce which was completely ignored. Now he has turned to other means of convincing them. Italy should brace itself." Al-Faqih also highlights a saying of the Prophet Muhammad as proof that Italy will be hit, saying, "Osama remembers the words of the Prophet: "You [Muslims] will make a truce with the Romans and will fight a common enemy." There are other versions of the same 'hadis' [a saying of the Prophet]: "You will force the Romans to a truce...". This is exactly what Bin Laden wants: to force Italy to abandon the alliance with America."

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