Nigeria deaths Italian anger at UK over rescue bid

The family of Chris McManus said they were devastated by his death

















Nigeria - Troubled Giant

Italian
politicians have complained that David Cameron did not consult Italy
before approving a failed bid to rescue a Briton and Italian in Nigeria.
Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, who were abducted last year, died as the rescue bid failed on Thursday.

The UK prime minister said he gave the go-ahead because the men's lives were in "imminent and growing danger".

British SBS special forces were "first in" during the rescue bid at Sokoto, says BBC correspondent Gordon Corera.

Gunmen seized the two engineers in the town of Birnin Kebbi on 12 May 2011.

They worked for B Stabilini, an Italian construction firm,
and were involved in the construction of a local headquarters for the
Central Bank of Nigeria.

"A Downing Street spokesperson said that the UK had been in
regular contact with the Italian authorities throughout the case," BBC
correspondent Gordon Corera reported.

"The spokesperson said Rome was informed when the operation
was under way and that the British Prime Minister rang spoke to his
Italian counterpart after its conclusion."

But speaking on the BBC's Newsnight, Italian Senator Lucio
Malan said the Italians were not satisfied and wanted to know why they
had not been consulted.

"It is quite uncommon that a country that is involved is not
informed before. Apparently it was a very difficult situation and it
might have been the best decision but it is still to be explained why
the Italian authorities haven't been informed," he said.





















Italian senator Lucio Malan: 'Usually in these cases the other countries are informed before the operation is started'





"The intelligence which led to the raid is believed to have
come through from co-operation with the Nigerians, with a source
identifying the house where the hostages were being kept," the BBC's
Gordon Corera reported.

"Events moved fast; British officials talk of a collapsing
time frame with fears that the window of opportunity for a rescue might
close as the men were either moved or killed.

"As members of the British SBS entered the compound it's
thought one kidnapper was shot but the hostages were then found dead.
officials say all the early indications are that they were killed by
their captors."



Analysis






Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News



British officials believe a splinter group of Boko Haram was
involved in the kidnapping. Boko Haram has become more violent and
capable in recent years and there is a suspicion that this may be a sign
of the growing influence of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb [North
Africa].

The splinter cell involved may be closer to al-Qaeda's
ideology and methodology than Boko Haram as a whole. Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb also has a track record in kidnapping westerners in
north Africa and trying to extract ransom payments to fund their violent
activities which may also have been the case in Nigeria.

So far Boko Haram's activities have not spilled out of Nigeria, but this incident will raise concerns for the future.





Mr Cameron said he and the
Nigerian authorities had decided to go ahead with the rescue operation
after receiving "credible information about [the men's] location.

"A window of opportunity arose to secure their release. We
also had reason to believe that their lives were under imminent and
growing danger," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's office said he had asked
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to provide as soon as possible a
"detailed reconstruction" of the events.

Meanwhile, BBC correspondent Alan Johnston said one MP from
the centre-left Democratic Party was now demanding to know why Italy was
not involved in the decision to go ahead with the operation.

President Jonathan said that the men's captors had been seized and "would be made to face the full wrath of the law".

He described them as being from Boko Haram, a militant
Islamist group that has carried out a number of attacks on police,
politicians and clerics who oppose it.

The BBC's Gordon Corera said he understood the attack was
most likely to have been the work of a splinter cell within Boko Haram,
with possible links to al-Qaeda.






Relatives of Mr McManus, who reports say was from Oldham in
Greater Manchester, released a statement saying they were "devastated"
by his death but thanked those who had worked to try to free him.

"During this ordeal we have relied heavily on the support of
our family and friends which has never waned and has enabled us to get
through the most difficult of times," they said.

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