U.S. won’t hand over 13 in Masri case

U.S. authorities have told Germany that they will not extradite 13 purported CIA agents sought in the alleged kidnapping of a German citizen, an official said.

A spokeswoman for Germany’s Justice Ministry said the Bush administration told Berlin it would not hand over the group and said the ministry had decided not to give Washington the formal request for their arrest.

Munich prosecutors accuse them of wrongfully imprisoning Khaled Masri and causing him serious bodily harm. Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, maintains that he was abducted and flown by the CIA to a prison in Afghanistan, where he was abused. He said he was released after being told it was a case of mistaken identity.