A court in Afghanistan has sentenced two men to death and another to 20 years in prison for their involvement in the kidnapping of an Italian aid worker and the murder of an Afghan businessman.
The court in Kabul announced the verdicts Thursday after a one-day trial. The presiding judge said all three men could appeal their sentences.
Clementina Cantoni, who worked for the CARE international aid agency, was abducted at gunpoint from her car in the Afghan capital on May 16 and freed three weeks later unharmed. Her abduction shocked the aid worker community in Kabul and raised fears that criminals and Taleban-linked rebels were copying tactics of insurgents in Iraq.
The circumstances of Ms. Cantoni's release and the motive for the kidnapping remain unclear. Afghan officials deny claims that her release was secured through any concession to her captors.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.