Italian prosecutor urges prison for Americans in CIA case

An Italian prosecutor has urged a court in Milan to convict and sentence 26 U.S. intelligence operatives to prison terms of up to 13 years for their suspected roles in the 2003 kidnapping of a Muslim cleric. The prosecutor, Armando Spataro, also asked the court to convict and sentence the head of Italy's military intelligence agency, Nicolo Pollari, to the same prison term for his alleged role in the abduction. Pollari has denied involvement, and says evidence proving his innocence is contained in classified documents excluded from the case. The trial is focusing on the case of Osama Mustafa Hassan Nasr (also known as Abu Omar), the Egyptian cleric and suspected terrorist authorities say was abducted in Milan and transferred to Egypt, where he says he was imprisoned, interrogated and tortured. Defense arguments have yet to be heard. A verdict is expected later this year.