July 5 (Bloomberg) -- Italian prosecutors ordered the arrest of the country's head of counterintelligence in connection with the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency that suspected him of having terrorist links.

Prosecutors leading the investigation asked for the agent, one of the top officials at the Sismi, Italy's intelligence agency, to be placed under house arrest, and also requested the imprisonment of the chief Sismi officer for northern Italy, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office.

The prosecutors are also seeking the arrest of four U.S. citizens: three CIA agents and a military officer stationed at the U.S. Air Force base in Aviano in northern Italy, according to the statement. No official from Aviano or the U.S. Embassy in Rome was immediately reached for comment.

The Milan prosecutors had already requested the arrest of 22 alleged CIA operatives who they say kidnapped Nasr Osama Moustafa Hassan, also known as Abu Omar, and flew him to Egypt in February 2003 where he was tortured before being released. The Italian government on April 12 turned down the prosecutor's request to seek extradition of the suspects from the U.S.

The rejection of the extradition request came two days after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost national elections, and the Milan prosecutors have said they will re-file the extradition request with the new government.

The Milan prosecutor's office didn't release the names of those targeted for arrest today. The Web site of newspaper Corriere della Sera said Marco Mancini, head of the Sismi's counterintelligence unit and a second unidentified official were arrested today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam L. Freeman in Rome at Afreeman5@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 5, 2006 08:40 EDT