Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Encyclopedia
Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (born 18 March 1963), also known as Abu Omar, is an Egypt
ian cleric. In 2003 he was living in Milan
, Italy, from where he was kidnapped and allegedly later tortured in Egypt. This "Imam rapito affair
" prompted a series of investigations in Italy, culminating in the criminal convictions (in absentia) of 22 CIA
operatives, a U.S. Air Force
colonel, and two Italian accomplices.
, an Islamic organisation dedicated to the overthrow of the Egyptian government. The group has been linked to the murder of Anwar Sadat
in 1981 and a terrorist campaign in the 1990s that culminated in the November 1997 Luxor massacre
. As a result it is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union. After the Egyptians declared the group illegal, Nasr sought asylum
in Italy.
in Milan
for noon prayers, thus becoming an effective ghost detainee
. He was later transported to a prison in Egypt where, he states, he was tortured.
In April 2004, while his incarceration had been downgraded to house arrest
, Nasr placed several phone calls from Egypt to his family and friends. He told them he had been rendered into the hands of Egypt's SSI
at Tura
prison, twenty miles south of Cairo. He said he had been subjected to various depredations, tortured by beating and electric shock
s to the genitals, raped,
and eventually had lost hearing in one ear. At the time of the calls he had been released on the orders of an Egyptian judge because of lack of evidence. Shortly after those calls were made he was re-arrested and placed back in prison.
Nasr's case has been qualified by Swiss senator Dick Marty
as a "perfect example of extraordinary rendition". On 4 November 2009, an Italian judge convicted in absentia 22 CIA agents, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) colonel and two Italian secret agents of the kidnap. Eight other American and Italian defendants were acquitted. USAF Lieutenant Colonel Joseph L. Romano
, at the time of the conviction commander of the 37th Training Group of the 37th Training Wing
, and 21 of the American defendants received five-year prison sentences. Former Milan CIA station chief, Robert Seldon Lady
, received an eight year prison sentence. The convicts were also ordered to each pay 1 million Euros to Nasr and 500,000 Euros to Nasr's wife. These convictions have been viewed in the media as being largely symbolic as none of these individuals are currently in Italian custody, and the Italian government has declined to seek their extradition.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/339ab960-c97d-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.html
The abduction prompted a series of investigations and intrigues within the Italian intelligence community and criminal justice system; in the Italian press, these are collectively referred to as the Imam Rapito (or "kidnapped Imam") affair.
confirmed that his client had been released and was now back with his family. After four years of detention, an Egyptian court ruled that his imprisonment was "unfounded."
He still could face arrest as a suspected terrorist and associate of terrorists if he returns to Italy. However, Nasr's lawyer has said that Nasr intends to return to Italy.
assured US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
that he was "working hard to resolve the situation." Berlusconi also criticized Italy's judicial system as being "dominated by leftists".
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian cleric. In 2003 he was living in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy, from where he was kidnapped and allegedly later tortured in Egypt. This "Imam rapito affair
Imam Rapito affair
The Abu Omar Case refers to the abduction and transfer to Egypt of the Imam of Milan Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar...
" prompted a series of investigations in Italy, culminating in the criminal convictions (in absentia) of 22 CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
operatives, a U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
colonel, and two Italian accomplices.
Early life
He is a member of al-Gama'a al-IslamiyyaAl-Gama'a al-Islamiyya
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya is an Egyptian Islamist movement, and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Egyptian governments...
, an Islamic organisation dedicated to the overthrow of the Egyptian government. The group has been linked to the murder of Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
in 1981 and a terrorist campaign in the 1990s that culminated in the November 1997 Luxor massacre
November 1997 Luxor massacre
The Luxor Massacre refers to the killing of 62 people, mostly tourists, that took place on 17 November 1997, at Deir el-Bahri, an archaeological site and major tourist attraction located across the River Nile from Luxor in Egypt....
. As a result it is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union. After the Egyptians declared the group illegal, Nasr sought asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in Italy.
Abduction by the CIA
On February 17, 2003, Nasr was abducted by CIA agents as he walked to his mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
for noon prayers, thus becoming an effective ghost detainee
Ghost detainee
Ghost detainee is an official term used by the U.S. Government to designate a person held in a detention center, whose identity has been hidden by keeping them unregistered and therefore anonymous. It was also used in the same manner by the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center at the Abu...
. He was later transported to a prison in Egypt where, he states, he was tortured.
In April 2004, while his incarceration had been downgraded to house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
, Nasr placed several phone calls from Egypt to his family and friends. He told them he had been rendered into the hands of Egypt's SSI
State Security Intelligence
The Egyptian State Security Investigations Service was the highest national investigating authority in Egypt. Estimated to employ 100,000 people, the SSI was the main security apparatus of Egypt's Ministry of Interior and had the role of controlling opposition groups, both armed groups and those...
at Tura
Tura (Egypt)
Tura was a site in Ancient Egypt, located about halfway between modern Cairo and Helwan. It was Egypt's primary quarry for limestone. The limestone from Tura was the finest and whitest of all the Egyptian quarries, so it was used for facing stones for the richest tombs, as well as for the floors...
prison, twenty miles south of Cairo. He said he had been subjected to various depredations, tortured by beating and electric shock
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
s to the genitals, raped,
and eventually had lost hearing in one ear. At the time of the calls he had been released on the orders of an Egyptian judge because of lack of evidence. Shortly after those calls were made he was re-arrested and placed back in prison.
Nasr's case has been qualified by Swiss senator Dick Marty
Dick Marty
Dick Marty is a Swiss politician and former state prosecutor of the canton of Ticino. He is a member of the Swiss Council of States , and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.-Education:Marty holds a doctorate in law from the University of Neuchâtel with the thesis:...
as a "perfect example of extraordinary rendition". On 4 November 2009, an Italian judge convicted in absentia 22 CIA agents, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) colonel and two Italian secret agents of the kidnap. Eight other American and Italian defendants were acquitted. USAF Lieutenant Colonel Joseph L. Romano
Joseph L. Romano
Colonel Joseph L. Romano is an officer in the United States Air Force and one of 26 American nationals charged by Italian authorities with the 2003 kidnapping of Italian resident cleric Hassan Nasr as part of an alleged covert CIA operation, and Romano was subsequently convicted in...
, at the time of the conviction commander of the 37th Training Group of the 37th Training Wing
37th Training Wing
The 37th Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.The 37th TRW provides basic military, professional and technical skills, and English language training for the Air Force, other military services, government agencies, and...
, and 21 of the American defendants received five-year prison sentences. Former Milan CIA station chief, Robert Seldon Lady
Robert Seldon Lady
Robert Seldon Lady is a convicted kidnapper and a noted member of the U.S...
, received an eight year prison sentence. The convicts were also ordered to each pay 1 million Euros to Nasr and 500,000 Euros to Nasr's wife. These convictions have been viewed in the media as being largely symbolic as none of these individuals are currently in Italian custody, and the Italian government has declined to seek their extradition.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/339ab960-c97d-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.html
The abduction prompted a series of investigations and intrigues within the Italian intelligence community and criminal justice system; in the Italian press, these are collectively referred to as the Imam Rapito (or "kidnapped Imam") affair.
Release in February 2007
On February 11, 2007, Nasr's lawyer Montasser el-ZayatMontasser el-Zayat
Montasser el-Zayat or Muntasir al-Zayyat is an Egyptian lawyer and author whose former clients, according to press reports, included Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. He has written a book entitled Ayman al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, which is strongly critical of al-Zawahiri. El-Zayat...
confirmed that his client had been released and was now back with his family. After four years of detention, an Egyptian court ruled that his imprisonment was "unfounded."
He still could face arrest as a suspected terrorist and associate of terrorists if he returns to Italy. However, Nasr's lawyer has said that Nasr intends to return to Italy.
Document leak
In 2010, diplomatic documents were leaked outlining pressure the United States used in an attempt to stop Italy from indicting the CIA agents who kidnapped Nasr. According to the documents, Italian Prime Minister Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
assured US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Robert Gates
Dr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
that he was "working hard to resolve the situation." Berlusconi also criticized Italy's judicial system as being "dominated by leftists".
See also
- Human rights in EgyptHuman rights in EgyptThe state of human rights in Egypt remains poor due to repressive government policies and brutal government crackdowns.-Rights and liberties ratings:...
- Montasser el-ZayatMontasser el-ZayatMontasser el-Zayat or Muntasir al-Zayyat is an Egyptian lawyer and author whose former clients, according to press reports, included Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. He has written a book entitled Ayman al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, which is strongly critical of al-Zawahiri. El-Zayat...
- Imam rapito affairImam Rapito affairThe Abu Omar Case refers to the abduction and transfer to Egypt of the Imam of Milan Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar...
- Returnees from AlbaniaReturnees from AlbaniaThe case of the Returnees from Albania was a massive criminal trial in an Egyptian military court from February to April 1999. The trial is one of the principal sources of information about Sunni terrorist groups in the 1990s, especially al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and its offshoot Egyptian Islamic...
- Sabrina De SousaSabrina De SousaSabrina De Sousa is a convicted kidnapper and a former American diplomat, who made international news in 2009 for suing the State Department in order to secure diplomatic immunity for her role in kidnapping in an Italian court case...
- Mark ZaidMark ZaidMark S. Zaid is a Washington DC attorney, with a practice focus on national security law, free speech constitutional claims and government accountability. He was named as a 2009 DC Superlawyer for his work on behalf of national security whistleblowers. He founded the James Madison Project in 1998,...
External links
- A lot more information on Abu Omar and controversy in Italy
- Rendition Cindy Sheehan? CIA Fugitive From Italy Justice Is Located
- CIA Ruse Is Said to Have Damaged Probe in Milan: Italy Allegedly Misled on Cleric's Abduction, Washington Post, 6 December 2005
- A Cleric's Journey, Washington Post, 6 December 2005
- Ex-Aviano officer won't comment on alleged abduction, Stars and StripesStars and Stripes (newspaper)Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, 10 December 2006 - Italy indicts 31 linked to CIA rendition case, International Herald TribuneInternational Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, 15 February 2007 - Amnesty International interview.