Several national Italian papers today (June 4th) have reported that analysis of bullet fragments recovered from the Toyota Corolla indicate that three soldiers opened fire in the incident that killed Nicola Calipari and wounded Giuliana Sgrena and Andrea Carpani. This contrasts with the soldiers’ sworn testimony that only Mario Lozano fired on the approaching vehicle, as documented in the US investigative report.
This follows revelations last May 26th in il Manifesto that a bullet fragment did not correspond to the calibre that killed Calipari. This particular was subsequently confirmed by State forensic investigators.
Preliminary studies of the trajectory of the bullet that hit the right front wheel indicate that the Toyota was turning right when the soldiers opened fire. Two tentative conclusions may be drawn from this evidence. One, it is highly unlikely that the vehicle was speeding 70 mph around a curve. Two, the most likely point on the road where the vehicle would turn right was at the last Jersey barrier which was where the unmarked Alert Line had been established.
The Vangjel report states that the fatal firing took place after the speeding vehicle crossed the Warning Line.
According to both the Italian dissenting report and the US version the sight of the incident was not conserved for an immediate forensic examination. The American forces did not allow Italian personnel to visit the sight in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Italian articles with the story presently on line, il Manifesto and la Repubblica.
[Update [2005-6-5 13:45:26 by rom wyo]:
As pointed out in my comment, the second conclusion drawn by the reporters of both la Repubblica and il Manifesto does not stand up to scrutiny. This matter may be of no concern to the English reader (or to the Italian for that matter), but does give an opportunity to discuss a more coherent explanation of the vehicle’s position now that it has been disclosed that it was hit while turning right.
The Jersey blocks were not in a zigzag pattern. There were two blocks on the right in the curve to the Irish Road and a final Jersey barrier on the left. The vehicle would have turned right after the second Jersey block in order to avoid the last barrier.
This might place the firing incident between the second and last barrier rather than before the first Jersey block as reported by the American forces.
The dissenting Italian report avails itself of the testimonies of the surviving victims, something not taken into consideration in the Vangjel report, except de relato by Sergeant FC Feliciano who spoke Spanish. The driver, Carpani, declared that a strong light was flashed on his right, slightly raised, followed almost simultaneously by gunfire.
Both the front of the vehicle and the right side were strafed by gunfire. According to both reports the HMMWV with Lozano in the turret was aligned with the second barrier. This would imply that Lozano flashed the spotlight and opened fire along with other soldiers when the vehicle was aligned with his and engaging the right turn. At this point one could conclude that neither Lozano nor anyone else at the blocking point had noticed the approaching vehicle until it had arrived at or passed the Warning Line.
Images of the intersection of Vernon Road and Irish Road cropped from this 16 MB airscape of Baghdad.
In the upper right hand corner is the overpass described in both reports where the southbound Toyota hit a flooded section of Vernon Road and greatly reduced its speed (Italian Report). The Toyota further slowed as it engaged the side lane on the right.
A translated, full description from the Italian Report is at Daily Kos. Excellent diaries on the dynamics of the incident are at Daily Kos and at Booman Trib. I apologize to the authors of the numerous and excellent diaries and commentaries for not being able to credit them all for their invaluable work. Their work has made both DailyKos and Booman the best English language sources on the Sgrena-Calipari incident.
The site description is on page 23 of the classified US Report.
“The road leading to the on-ramp begins where the westernmost lane of Route Vernon separates from the highway. The on-ramp itself begins near a side street that borders the edge of a housing area on the west side of the road. This point is approximately 640 meters south of the nearby underpass on Route Vernon, and approximately 380 meters from where the road to the on-ramp splits from Route Vernon. (Annexes 141K, 144K).
(U) At the interchange of the on-ramp and Route Vernon, the highway becomes an overpass extending over Route Irish. Three separate concrete Jersey barriers are located in the on-ramp to Route Irish. The barriers are arranged with the first two barriers on the right hand side of the on-ramp and the third one on the left hand side of the on-ramp, but not in a serpentine configuration, as one approaches from the north. The first barrier is approximately 75 meters from the concrete abutment of the Route Vernon overpass near the beginning of the on-ramp. The second barrier is approximately 37 meters beyond the first barrier (112 meters from the concrete abutment). The third barrier is approximately 31 meters beyond the second barrier (143 meters from the abutment). This third, or southernmost, barrier is approximately 80 meters from where the on-ramp merges with westbound Route Irish. The total length of the on-ramp is approximately 223 meters.”
The following two images appeared in the May 26th edition of il Manifesto. The first photo is of the three Jersey barriers in the curve to the Irish Road ramp.
According to the US report and accepted with reservations by the Italian investigators, the blocking vehicle was “on the road, near the outer curb, positioned in conjunction with the second barrier of three Jersey barriers already on-site on the on-ramp” at a safe distance from the Vernon overpass.
Carpani testifies that the light came from the right side. The bursts of fire hit the front and the right side of the vehicle. This would place the blocking vehicle on the right side of the Toyota in the curve, fairly out of sight for any approaching vehicle on a rainy night.
The second photo is of the Vernon overpass and the side road leading to the Irish Road ramp. None of the Jersey blocks are visible in the photo. The Alert Line corresponds roughly to the second Vernon Overpass lamppost in the center of the photo.
From http://www.ilmanifesto.it/Quotidiano-archivio/04-Giugno-2005/art49.html
With each discovery, the work of the experts becomes more complicated, and lengthy. By now it is clear that none of the findings of the US investigations can be taken at face value. It will still take some time before the conclusion of the tests, which at this point are to define the probable trajectories of the shots.
Thanks rom wyo – I was hoping to translate from Corriere and Manifesto this afternoon. Your translation is better than mine would have been.
And the lies keep being exposed…
Venice Ca. I didn’t really translate, just tried to stick to the bare essentials. There’s more meat in la Repubblica article than in the Corriere.
We’ll be looking forward to what the Prosecutors’ forensic investigators have to say. Much of this is coming from Sgrena’s appointed consultant. According to Italian law, all parties in a case have the faculty to appoint expert consultants for forensic exams. State investigators are obliged to keep mumm. Apparently this rule doesn’t apply to victims and the accused.
The May 26 report in Manifesto had predicted that the testing on the Toyota would be completed by June 9. With the June 4 article, it looks as if the investigation may take longer.
I noticed that information was being passed to Manifesto through the attorney for Sgrena, who speaks with the forensic expert appointed to represent her. I had wondered how they were receiving the leaks.
Is the news of multiple shooters making any impact in Italy – or is the referendum consuming most of the public attention?
Time zones do slow answers but better later than never.
Concerning the June 9th deadline, yesterday’s article in il Manifesto does say that things are a lot more complicated now. So I wouldn’t count on that date 100%.
It is the forensic expert, Dr. Domenico Compagnini, who actually discovered that a bullet fragment was fired by an M-16 rather than Lozano’s M240B. He referred to Sgrena’s lawyer, Alessandro Gameberini.
The new revelations do not seem to attract much attention at the moment here. The economic situation coupled with the referendum against the “assisted fecondation” law monopolizes attention now. Also four Italian soldiers died a few days ago in Nassariya.
The referendum here is well worth a diary.
I’ve been mulling over the Manifesto article and cannot agree with their second conclusion. I’ll have to do some heavy editing soon- with photos to help.
I would be very interested in reading your referendum diary and finding out what is going on with Rutelli.
Also anxiously waiting the full results of the ballistic tests.
Buon giorno, oppure buona notte.
Rutelli é uno scemo che ha fatto una bella figura di sciagurata schifezza. That’s all there is to it.
He’s decided to put himself under the control of the old Christian Democrat power-brokers (De Mita, Marini) and the Vatican in order to try to rebuild a powerful and domininant Catholic coalition of the “center.”
His abstention in the upcoming referendum on artifical insemination is anti-democratic, anti-contitiuonal and cynically furthers the CEI’s (Runini and Ratzinger) fundamantalist agenda.
I have more respect for Gianfrano Fini who, in defiance face of the theocrats, will vote three SI’s and one NO (on fecondaziobe eterologa)…
by Oui ◊ Thu May 5th, 2005
by gilgamesh ◊ Sun May 1st, 2005
by gilgamesh ◊ Tue Apr 26th, 2005
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
Thanks for posting the links Oui….
Been a little pre-occupied and just getting back to news. It helps to have references back to the original diaries.
.
~ Cross-posted from diary Berlusconi Disputes US Report ~
(AGI) – Rome, Italy. May 2 – Lawyer, Carlo Taormina has spoken once more of an audio tape, in his possession, of a satellite phone call between Iraq and Italy, a copy of which was obtained via the internet, by Gianluca Priete, (who is himself under police investigation for illegally accessing electronic records). It is said that this tape provides proof that the liberation of journalist, Giuliana Sgrena took place in a different manner than that which has up to now been publicly claimed.
NUR al-CUBICLE
In its conclusions, signed by Ambassador Cesare Ragaglini and General Pierluigi Campregher, the Italian team faults the Americans for refusing a dynamic reconstruction of events. The Italians specifically mention “tampering at the scene of the incident” and of the Toyota Corolla, a key piece evidence, in which the Italian intelligence officers and Guiliana were traveling. At the end of its investigation, the Italians even proposed concluding the report by saying it was impossible to attribute responsibility. The US military rejected this compromise, saying it would completely exonerate the patrol to close any loophole permitting further legal action on the part of the Italian judiciary.
THE “BLOCKING” POSITION.
This arrangement differentiates the type of checkpoint. This type of arrangement, underscores the Italian findings, is not subject to any rules because it is generally employed “on the battlefield” and in fact does not incorporate signposting and barbed wire. The Italians particularly fault the US decision of placing “it at the end of an elbow curve.” The report then concentrates on the crime scene investigation carried out together with US officials. “The scene of the incident”–they write–“was altered and the soldiers were unable to indicate their positions at the time of the shooting. They add that the alteration prevented the investigating team from determining the source of weapons fire. Not only that: but according to the Italian team, “between the illumination of the spotlight and the warning shots far more than the three seconds allotted by the patrol would have been required for the driver to come to a complete stop“.
COMMUNICATIONS.
In the report to be handed to the Italian government tomorrow, the CIA station chief was informed of the operation and in the early afternoon he was given the details of the rental car. Also, “US Command was informed 25 minutes before the shooting that the hostage [Mrs. Sgrena] was released.” In any case, the Italians underscore that confidentiality is absolutely routine, even between allies, in such a mission. The statements of the SISMI station chief in Baghdad affirm that he was on the phone with Calipari when the shooting occurred. “It was the [SISMI Station Chief] who asked that all [US-manned] checkpoints be informed and was told that “there were not any checkpoints”. Shortly later, on the request of the [SISMI Station Chief], a US military officer contacted the patrol and this demonstrates that it would have been possible to warn the soldiers that the automobile with the released hostage on board was on the road leading to the airport.
[Captain Green (USA) is the Aide-de-Camp to Major General Mario Marioli (ITAR), DCG, MNC-I. As early as 28 February 2005, Captain Green was aware that a number of Italian VIPs would be coming into BIAP. The date for their arrival kept getting pushed back. He was aware that the VIPs would be involved in working the Sgrena hostage situation. Captain Green knew no specifics beyond that.
Source US Report.]
FORENSIC EVIDENCE.
Other than the duty logs, there are no other written records of communications or tape recordings among involved units relating to the coordination to block Route Irish on the evening of 4 March 2005.
RECONSTRUCTION MAP
[Specialist Lozano was the gunner in the blocking vehicle. He was to remain in the turret, facing north up the on-ramp toward on-coming traffic. From there, he was to operate a three million candlepower hand-held spotlight that he was to shine on approaching vehicles as soon as possible, even before the Alert Line (he was able to see at least 20 meters beyond the Alert Line).
Source US Report.]
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I love that this investigation is being followed up here.
Thank you.
to all who have posted further links and comments.
Tomorrow, June 9th, the conclusions of the forensic investigation are supposed to be turned over to the magistracy investigating the crime.
By law the report should be kept secret until the judges finish the investigation and turn over the dossier to the judge responsible for evaluating if there is enough evidence to call for a trial.
This law is rarely respected, so expect to see more officious revelations in the next few days.
I’ve done a bit of diary cleaning without changing the content.
Looking at this reconstruction, I get the feeling that the U.S. patrol manning the checkpoint was sloppy in their procedures and then panicked when they saw the car.
Unfortunately, I also have the feeling that a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality has become endemic to U.S. troops in Iraq. A coverup here only reinforces that attitude among the troops. The message is you can kill anyone as long as you think you’re in danger.
So, unless I’m missing something, does that imply that the soldiers doing the shooting weren’t the ones that killed Calipari? Or what?
Not at all.
Calipari was killed by a calibre 7.62. Both incident reports say that Mario Lozano fired the fatal shot with an M240B mounted on the turret.
According to a leak to the press published in il Manifesto on May 26th, the forensic investigators had identified a fragment calibre 5.56, most likely shot from an arm based on the M16. Either Lozano was pumping lead with two arms and holding a lantern between his teeth comic-book style, or another soldier on the ground had also opened fire.
According to both reports, the only two soldiers on the ground were acting Platoon Sergeant Brown and Second Lieutenant Acosta. The only other soldier who could have been on the ground was Sergeant O’Hara, but both reports state that he was sitting in the rear of the vehicle when the incident occurred.
As said above, on June 4th several national Italian papers revealed that a third fragment had been identified that had not been fired by either of the two weapons. However, as of today there has been no confirmation or denial of this leak.
There were seven soldiers at BP 541 at the moment of the incident. Two of them apparently opened fired. Perhaps a third soldier, too.
That’s what we officially know for now.