Italian judge suspends trial of CIA agents

updated 7:46 a.m. ET Dec. 3, 2008

MILAN, Italy - An Italian judge has suspended a kidnapping trial linked to the CIA's extraordinary rendition program after the government said testimony could be a threat to Italy's national security.

The Milan trial involves 26 Americans and five Italian intelligence agents charged in the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric. Most of the Americans are CIA agents.

The judge on Wednesday suspended the trial until March 18 in the expectation that Italy's Constitutional Court would have resolved the national security issue by then. A ruling from the high court is due March 10.

Both Premier Silvio Berlusconi and his predecessor Romano Prodi have warned testimony in the case could compromise operations between Italian spy services and the CIA.

More on CIA | extraordinary rendition

More from msnbc.com   Power struggle threatens Pakistan’s leader   From Levi to Letterman: Palin's rough year U.S. widening definition for disability at work  Elkhart Project: Home, 'primed' for 2010 Ice addict heads for poles, Everest | Trek posts Stimulus tracker: See where millions of dollars went On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM EUROPE

Europe Section Front

Apology for kids sent from Britain to colonies British scientist says she penned call-girl blog Fabled Foreign Legion finds a new war to fight Obama, Medvedev see progress on nuke pact French lawmaker wants to outlaw spanking Italy arrests Mafia boss, on run for 15 years Home searched in Cindy Crawford extort probe Iran's first lady makes rare speech at Rome summit German convert to Islam eyed as terror suspect Serb Patriarch Pavle dies, spoke for Balkan peace Europe Section Front   Add Europe headlines to your news reader: