Afghan Christian convert reaches Italy

An Afghan man who switched from Islam to Christianity arrived in Italy on Wednesday after leaving Kabul despite lawmakers demanding he be barred from fleeing the conservative Muslim country.

“He is already in Italy,” Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said. “I think he arrived overnight.” Abdul Rahman, 41, who faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity, left Kabul Wednesday morning, a Kabul-based foreign legal expert told AP. News of Rahman’s departure from Kabul emerged despite intense Afghan criticism. —DANIEL COONEY