Rome After the Italian justice minister requested that a court annul his arrest, Italy on Sunday freed an Iranian national who was wanted by the United States for a drone strike in Jordan that killed three Americans a year ago.
Iranian state television stated Sunday afternoon that Mohammad Abedini had already returned to Iran.
In relation to his request for home detention while awaiting extradition to the United States, he was expected to appear in court in Milan on Wednesday.
Three days before to the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala during a reporting trip to Iran, Abedini was taken into custody on a U.S. warrant on December 16. Last week, Sala, who was thought to have been used as leverage to secure Abedini’s release, went back to his homeland.
Abedini has been charged by the U.S. Justice Department with providing Iran with the drone technology used in the January 2024 attack on a U.S. station in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers.
According to an official note on the case issued by the Italian Justice Ministry on Sunday, only crimes punishable under the laws of both countries can result in extradition under the Italy-U.S. extradition treaties. Based on the current state of the documents, this requirement cannot be regarded as existing.
According to the ministry, the possible accusation against the Abedini criminal association for breaking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a federal law in the United States, did not match any actions that are considered crimes under Italian law.
According to Iranian state television, Abedini’s return and release followed discussions between Iran’s intelligence ministry and the Italian intelligence service, as well as the pursuit of the issue by Iran’s foreign ministry.
For the first time, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said that Washington’s interests were taken into consideration throughout the negotiations, describing a diplomatic triangulation with Iran and the United States as crucial to secure Sala’s release.
Following Meloni’s unexpected travel to Florida to see U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Sala was released.