Troops who shot at Sgrena were Security forces protecting Negroponte

[ck4829]

U.S. troops who mistakenly killed an Italian intelligence agent last week on the road to Baghdad's international airport were part of extra security provided by the U.S. Army to protect U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, a U.S. official said Thursday.

Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari was killed Friday when U.S. troops opened fire on a car carrying him and Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had just been freed from insurgents.

"The mobile patrol was there to enhance security because Ambassador Negroponte was expected through," U.S. Embassy spokesman Robert Callahan said, confirming reports in Italian media. The newspaper La Repubblica reported Wednesday that the checkpoint had been "set up to protect the passage of Ambassador Negroponte."

It was not known if Negroponte, who was nominated last month by President Bush to be the new director of national intelligence, had already passed through the checkpoint.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_italy_hostage

[Nickster]

1. Just another coincidence, nothing to see here.....move on.....n/t

[Bob3]

2. curiouser and curiouser said Alice.

I mean what are the odds? A very strange development indeed. And Suspicious as hell.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. So did Negroponte

set his personal goons on them?

[Bridget Burke]

4. Ah--so they weren't just our regular soldiers....

Not the overstressed National Guard types we've been accused of bad-mouthing.

I'm sure Negroponte's guys have special talents & training.

[Dhalgren]

5. Why am I not surprised that "Death Squads"

Negroponte is involved in some way? This is sort of an extension of the "don't look at the Emperor" command that all peasants get whenever the Emperor is in the area. If "D-S" Negroponte is in the area it's "shoot first and clean up later."

"And I'm proud to be an American, where only the rich are free..."

[beam me up scottie]

9. Exactly what I was thinking.

[leesa]

6. Oh horseshit! Took em a few days to think of THIS one, eh?

Were these guys some of Negrponte's death squads?

[Ganja Ninja]

7. Negroponte! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch ...

That explains a lot. If his name is involved than you know it's not just an accident.

[indepat]

8. Mistakenly killed or randomly killed by the trigger-happy: not a pretty

picture either way.

[Dhalgren]

10. I would like to know if there is any "history"

between Death Squads Negroponte and Calipari. That would be an interesting thread to pull at...