Homecoming for Italy's hero

• Body of Nicola Calipari returned, but questions remain over his death.

• Released journalist Giuliana Sgrena claims they may have been targeted

• Pressure on Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, to take hard line with Bush

Key quote

"You could characterise as an ambush what happens when you are showered with gunfire. If this happened because of a lack of information or deliberately, I don’t know, but even if it was due to a lack of information it is unacceptable." - GUILIANA SGRENA

Story in full THE body of Nicola Calipari, the Italian secret agent who secured the release from captivity in Iraq of journalist Giuliana Sgrena, was flown from Baghdad to Rome yesterday - as Ms Sgrena claimed his shooting may have been a deliberate ambush by United States forces.

She suggested the motive may have been disapproval in Washington of Italy’s alleged policy of paying ransoms to kidnappers.

Mr Calipari’s flag-draped coffin was greeted in the early hours by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the Italian president. A grim looking Mr Ciampi placed both hands on the coffin in a silent tribute before the body was taken in an ambulance to a military hospital for a post mortem examination.

The coffin was later taken to the Vittoriano - Italy’s national monument and tomb of the unknown soldier - where it will lay in state until 9:30am today before the funeral.

Even before the coffin arrived, a huge crowd had built up at the white marble monument, many carrying peace flags and banners bearing anti-war slogans. The coffin was followed by Mr Calipari’s widow, Rosa Maria, and their children Filippo, 13, and Silvia, 19, while behind them was Emilio dell Mese, the head of Italy’s secret service, the CESIS. By the middle of yesterday afternoon officials said more than 10,000 people had filed past to pay their respects.

Speaking from her hospital bed in Rome, Ms Sgrena explained her thinking on the US attack, in which Mr Calipari was shot dead as he escorted the freed reporter to the safety of Baghdad airport.

She offered no evidence for her claim that she may have been targeted deliberately, but her words reflected growing anger in Italy over the conduct of the war, which has cost more than 20 Italian lives.

The shooting on Friday evening has sparked tensions with Italy’s US allies and put pressure on Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, to take a hard line with George Bush, the US president.

Ms Sgrena said: "The United States doesn’t approve of this [ransom] policy and so they try to stop it in any way possible."

She later added: "You could characterise as an ambush what happens when you are showered with gunfire. If this happened because of a lack of information or deliberately, I don’t know, but even if it was due to a lack of information it is unacceptable."

Ms Sgrena wrote in yesterday’s issue of Il Manifesto that Mr Calipari had saved her life by shielding her with his body.

Mr Bush has promised a full investigation into why troops shot at the Italian car nearing Baghdad airport on Friday evening. Mr Calipari died instantly of a single bullet to the head, doctors said.

The US military says the car was speeding towards a checkpoint and ignored warning shots, an account rejected by Italian government ministers and the driver of the car.

A White House spokesman, Dan Bartlett, said the shooting was a "horrific accident".

"As you know, in a situation where there is a live combat zone, particularly this road to the airport ... people are making split-second decisions," he said.

Prosecutors in Rome have opened a second degree murder investigation into Mr Calipari’s death.

Although Italy has denied paying kidnappers in past hostage releases, Gianni Alemanno, the agriculture minister, said a large ransom had "very probably" been paid in this case. Reports spoke of sums up to €8 million (5.5 million).