(RTTNews) - The U.S. State Department on Wednesday expressed disappointment at the conviction of 23 Americans, mostly CIA agents, by a court in Italy for their alleged involvement in the 2003 kidnapping of an Islamic cleric in Milan.

"We are disappointed by the verdicts against the Americans and Italians charged in Milan for their alleged involvement in the case involving Egyptian cleric Abu Omar," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters in Washington.

"The judge has not yet issued a written opinion so we're not in a position to comment further on the decision," he said, adding that an appeal was likely.

Earlier in the day, a court in Milan, Italy, convicted 23 Americans, including 22 CIA agents, and two Italian secret service agents over the 2003 kidnapping of Islamic cleric Abu Omar in Milan and flying him out of the country.

Twenty-six Americans and seven Italians faced charges of kidnapping Egyptian cleric Abu Omar, a suspected terrorist, from Milan and flying him to Egypt. Omar claims he was tortured and held for four years without charges before being released in 2007.

Judge Oscar Magi, who presided over the case dealing with the alleged "extraordinary rendition" carried out by the CIA on Italian soil, acquitted three Americans and five Italians in the case.

Those acquitted on Wednesday included CIA chief for Rome Jeffrey Castelli, former head of Italy's military intelligence agency, Nicolo Pollari, and his deputy, Marco Mancini.

However, the judge sentenced Robert Lady, CIA's Milan station chief at the time of the incident, to eight years in prison and the 22 remaining Americans to 5 years each in prison for their role in the cleric's abduction. Two Italian secret service agents were also given three-year prison terms each.

The trial began in a court in Milan in June 2007, and all the Americans involved in the case were tried in absentia after the United States refused to extradite them. However, Wednesday's ruling could effectively make them international fugitives.

It is alleged that CIA operatives kidnapped many terror suspects from Europe and moved them to other countries that practiced interrogation under torture. Though the U.S. government admits making secret "rendition" transfers of terrorism suspects between countries, it denies using torture during interrogation or transferring suspects to countries that practice interrogation under torture.

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