12/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - In a written question to the Council and the Commission, Democratici di sinistra MEP Elena Paciotti has spoken out against "a serious case of infringement of the fundamental rights of an Italian citizen by the United States authorities". He is Marco Fornari- son of diplomats and born in Djeddah (Saudi Arabia), and a student at the universities of Suffolk in Boston and Lubbock in Texas- who, after 11 September, was included on a blacklist of suspect persons, "because of his place of birth". Having received reassurances that his situation had been clarified, Mr Fornari returned to Italy for the Christmas holidays, but on his return to Texas, was arrested at Dallas airport (along with a Swedish businessman), and "taken to prison in chains", then expelled, said Ms Paciotti, who added: he can now neither return to the US to continue his studies, nor retrieve his personal effects, which are in Dallas.