Freed Italian hostage criticises US shooting

ROME - Freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena has described how US forces sprayed her car with bullets as it neared safety in Iraq, wounding her and killing the man who had secured her release moments earlier.

US forces opened fire as the car carrying Sgrena neared Baghdad airport on Friday after she was released by the militants who had held her captive for more than a month.

Sgrena, a 57-year-old award-winning war reporter, returned to Rome on Saturday and looked in pain as she was helped off a government plane, clutching a plaid blanket and attached to a drip and was put into an ambulance.

But in comments reported by ANSA news agency, Sgrena told Rome investigating magistrates during a debriefing that the car was not going fast and there was no real checkpoint.

"The firing was not justified by the speed of our car," she reportedly said, adding it was travelling at a "regular" speed.

"It wasn't a checkpoint, but a patrol which shot as soon as it had lit us up with a spotlight. We had no idea where the shots were coming from."

She also told RAI TV: "We thought the danger was over after my release to the Italians but all of a sudden there was this shoot-out, we were hit by a barrage of bullets."

Nicola Calipari, the senior secret service agent who had worked for her release, was telling her about what had been going on in Italy since her capture when the shooting started.

"He leaned over me, probably to protect me, and then he slumped down, and I saw he was dead," said Sgrena.

The US military said its forces fired because the car was speeding towards their checkpoint.

Doctors said Sgrena was in stable condition after suffering a gunshot wound to her left shoulder, fracturing a bone and causing bruising to a lung.

The incident could rekindle anti-war sentiment in Italy, where public opinion opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq.

It has caused the worst fall out in years between the United States and Italy, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi taking the rare step of summoning the US ambassador for an explanation.

In a telephone call, Bush promised Berlusconi a full investigation.

Berlusconi defied public opinion by sending 3,000 soldiers to Iraq after the US-led invasion in March 2003 and has rejected past calls to withdraw the troops.

While moderate opposition leaders were cautious in their criticism, hardline leftists said the shooting would galvanise anti-war opinion.

Sgrena's partner Pier Scolari, speaking outside the hospital where she is being treated, accused US forces of, at best, recklessness and even suggested the troops had targeted Sgrena.

"I hope the Italian government does something because either this was an ambush, as I think, or we are dealing with imbeciles or terrorised kids who shoot at anyone," he said.

- REUTERS