Giuliana Sgrena

Nicola Calipari, an Italian secret service agent who helped secure Sgrena's release, was killed when he threw himself in front of her to protect her from the gunfire, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in Rome.

The United States pledged that a thorough investigation would be carried out into the incident, and President George W. Bush called Berlusconi personally to express his regrets, the White House said.

Nicola Calipari

The U.S. military said the Italian convoy speeding toward a checkpoint manned by U.S. forces near Baghdad airport ignored signals to slow down and stop.

"When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block, which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others," the 3rd Infantry Division said in a statement.

Sgrena, who has worked since 1988 for the left-wing newspaper Il Manifesto, which opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, was abducted Feb. 4 after visiting a Baghdad mosque where refugees have been encamped since a devastating U.S.-led assault on the city of Fallujah in November.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 12, 2005
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