Italian prosecutors have requested the extradition of 22 CIA agents they suspect of involvement of kidnapping a radical Islamic preacher three years ago.

Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, an Egyptian native known as Abu Omar was a member of the radical Muslim group Jamaat al-Islamiya, but had been granted political asylum in Italy.

Abu Omar was under surviellance by Italian police, but suddenly disappeared on 17 February 2003, apparently due to an “extraordinary rendition” operation in which the CIA transported him back to Egypt, where he remains in prison and claims to have been tortured.