The SISMi scandal continues to unfold. Yesterday it was revealed that Pirelli employed a CIA station chief formerly stationed in Mogadiscio, John Paul Spinelli. Pirelli and Telecom are closely linked through the same ownership. It appears that employees of Pirelli and Telecom may have been involved in the Abu Omar kidnapping, along with employees of Cipriani's private security companies. Cipriani received regular payments from Telecom for tens of millions of euros through a series of societies abroad.

Excerpts of Pio Pompa's intercepted phone calls indicate frequent and friendly conversations with Edward Luttwak of the Washington based CSIS. According to reports in the Repubblica, Luttwak was kept abreast of developments and probable disinformation campaigns in the Abu Omar kidnapping case.

Edward Luttwak is a regular fixture on Italian television as some sort of expert. He spent many years of his childhood in Italy as a refugee and speaks fluent Italian.

The CSIS has always been a favoured conduit for undercover operations and disinformation campaigns in Italy as well as South America. A favourite think tank of the Reagan and the Bush père administrations, it earned its brownie points with the Billygate scandal. That scandal tipped the scales in favour of Reagan.