An Italian judge today ordered 26 Americans, almost all CIA agents, to stand trial on charges of kidnapping a terrorism suspect in 2003 and flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured.

The Milan judge set a trial date for June 8. Prosecutors allege that five Italian intelligence officials worked with the Americans to abduct Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr from a Milan street in February 2003.

The Americans will almost certainly be tried in absentia.

Among those indicted was the former Italian chief of military intelligence, Nicolo Pollari. Mr Pollari, the only defendant who appeared during the preliminary hearing, insisted that Italian intelligence played no role in the alleged abduction.

He told the judge he was unable to defend himself properly because documents clarifying his position had been excluded from the proceedings because they contain state secrets.

After his capture, Mr Nasr was allegedly transferred by vehicle to the Aviano air force base near Venice, then by air to the Ramstein air base in Germany, and then on to Egypt, where critics say he was tortured.

All but one of the American suspects have been identified as CIA agents, including the former station chiefs in Rome and Milan. The other is a US Air Force officer stationed at the time at Aviano.

The European parliament this week approved a report accusing Britain, Germany, Italy and other EU countries of turning a blind eye to CIA flights carrying terrorist suspects in Europe.

In its report, the parliament's committee on CIA activities in Europe said more than 1,200 CIA-operated flights had used European airspace between 2001 and 2005.

It accused some European countries of turning a blind eye to the flights, a number of which were allegedly used to illegally transport terrorism suspects.

The US intelligence agency may also have operated secret jails for terrorism suspects at US military bases around Europe, according to the report. Several member states were criticised for a "lack of cooperation" and the committee accused Britain, Austria, Italy, Poland and Portugal of showing an obstructive attitude.

Criticism of Britain for allegedly not cooperating with the parliamentary investigation was removed from the report at the insistence of Labour MEPs and the final wording was also softer on the German government. But objections to testimony by the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, remained, with the parliament accusing him of making "omissions" in his statement to the committee.

The Bush administration acknowledges the secret transfer of suspects to foreign countries, but denies torturing them or handing them to countries that did.

A Munich court last month issued arrest warrants for 13 suspected CIA agents accused of kidnapping Khaled el-Masri, a German national of Lebanese descent.

Mr Masri, who spent five months in an Afghan jail where he said he was tortured, wants to sue the CIA.

Last year, the German parliament set up a special committee to investigate the alleged "renditions" of Mr Masri and of Murat Kurnaz, a German-born Turk. Mr Kurnaz spent nearly five years in Guantánamo Bay where he said he was tortured and abused.