An Italian judge Wednesday convicted 23 US and two Italian secret agents for the CIA's kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003.

The CIA's Milan station chief at the time, Robert Seldon Lady, was sentenced to eight years in prison and the other Americans to five years, all in their absence.

The two Italians were given three-year prison terms.

The CIA chief for Italy, Jeffrey Castelli, and the head of Italian military intelligence, Nicolo Pollari, were protected by state secrecy rules, Judge Oscar Magi said.