Joseph L. Romano

Lieutenant-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.

Background and career

In his own words, Romano comes from a family with a legacy of military service, to include his father who served as a corporal in the Korean War. [http://www.kwva.org/graybeards/gb_0610/gb_0610_final.pdf]

Recent activities

Investigation by Italian authorities

At the time of the Hassn Nasr kidnapping, Romano was commander of the 31st Security Forces Squadron stationed Aviano Air Base near Venice. On June 27 2005, he was made subject of a Europe-wide arrest warrant, [ [http://www.watchingamerica.com/corrieredellasera000006.html Italy Says CIA Agents Guilty of Abduction, Issues Europe-Wide Arrest Warrants ] ] [ [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/08/321321.html UK Indymedia - WE "OUT" AN EX-CIA AGENT - Bush Admin's Renditioner in Italy Scandal ] ] centering on contentions of Italian authorities that he was in charge of security operations during the kidnapping of Nasr in February, 2003. The subsequent formal transmission of the arrest warrants to the Eurojust judicial coordination office meant that they became immediately effective throughout all E.U. member countries, and that Romano and all 22 other U.S. nationals named in the warrant were subject to immediate arrest within their respective jurisdictions. Among the evidentiary points cited in the warrant, issued by the Tribunale di Milano, were the fact that one of the four subscribed numbers traced by authorities as having transmitted from the scene of the kidnapping to Aviano was "assigned to, owned and used by" Col. Romano. ["Tribunale di Milano", [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/documents/milan_warrants.pdf Felony ex Arts, No. 10838/05] ]

A formal indictment was issued by Judge Caterina Interlandi on February 16, 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/02/17/alleged_agents_of_cia_charged/ | title=Alleged agents of CIA charged | first = Colleen | last = Barry |date=2007-02-17 |publisher=Boston Globe
accessdate=2007-02-22] Romano – the only military officer among the 26 U.S. nationals indicted – has refused to comment on the allegations. “I have nothing to say,” he has said, referring questions about the “alleged incident that I’m supposedly involved in” to Air Force senior leadership and the service’s public affairs office. [cite web | url=http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41068&archive=true | title=Ex-Aviano officer won't comment on alleged abduction |date=2006-12-10 |publisher=Stars and Stripes |accessdate=2007-02-22]

Deployment in Iraq

Romano commanded the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron that deployed to Camp Bucca in December 2004. [http://www.wood.army.mil/mpbulletin/pdfs/Oct%2005/Romano-Dains-Watts.pdf] The unit, was activated in October 2004 and originally called the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron; in March 2005 the unit was renamed the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. The unit was assembled in 45 days and consisted of security forces personnel from 17 bases representing every major command in the Air Force. The Airmen performed three of the Army's traditional missions--detainee operations, patrolling duties, and convoy escort duties. In an unusual move, the airmen also helped provide force protection for the Army camp. [cite web |url=http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010682 |title=Airmen guard camp, detainees in Iraq | first = Jerry | last = Lobb |date=2005-06-03 |publisher=Air Force Link
accessdate=2007-02-22]

Transfer to the Pentagon

Since 2005, Romano has worked at Section 31P of The Pentagon. [ [http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77073 CIAs INDICTED (Romano, Castelli, Russomondo, De Sousa), also top Italy Spies - Indymedia Ireland ] ] In August 2006, he selected for promotion to Colonel, [ [http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/083106/beam_20060831006.shtml AF announces selections to colonel, lieutenant colonel, major ] ] but as of December 2006 he was still holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

ee also

*Background article on the "Imam Rapito affair", regarding the aftermath and political context of the Hassan Nasr kidnapping
*Extraordinary rendition

References

External links

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/06/mil-050603-afpn01.htm Unrelated newspaper article about Romano in Iraq]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_prfr/is_200307/ai_4209537262 Unrelated article about Romano helping a pilot propose to his girlfriend]
* [http://boston.indymedia.org/newswire/display/186312/index.php CIA's INDICTED (Romano, Castelli, Russomondo, De Sousa), also top Italy Spies] Boston Independent Media Center