Associated Press
MILAN, Italy – A court ordered the release from prison Tuesday of three Americans and 17 Europeans arrested in connection with violence at last month’s Group of Eight summit in Italy.
Susanna Thomas, 21, from Warren, N.J.; Andre Patrick Stoffel, born in 1978 and from Illinois; and Brian Sating, born in 1965, from Ohio still face charges carrying a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
The hometowns and exact ages of the two American men were not available.
“There are lots of political prisoners still in jail, and they all need help and support and prayers and solidarity,” Thomas told The Associated Press in an interview at Milan’s airport.
“I am a pacifist,” said Thomas, who is a Quaker. “I’m glad to be out, (but) I want to express my solidarity to all other prisoners.”
A prison official who refused to give his name told reporters that Thomas would catch the first available flight out of Italy.
Thomas was arrested with the Austrian Publix Theater, a street theater group that deals with political themes, as the group was leaving Genoa in a caravan of vehicles.
Police alleged that the Publix Theater group had conspired with the violent anarchists known as Black Bloc, who were considered mainly responsible for the riots, before and during the July 20-22 summit.
Thomas’ parents have said their daughter was in Genoa as part of her research on nonviolent social activism.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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