An Iranian citizen wanted by the US for his alleged role in a drone attack that killed three Jordanian soldiers in 2024, has been released from Italian custody and returned to Iran. Mohammad Abedini was arrested in Italy on a US warrant but Italian authorities ultimately decided not to extradite him due to legal technicalities.
An Iran ian citizen wanted by America over a drone attack in Jordan which killed three soldiers has returned home after being detained in Italy for the last month. Mohammad Abedini, 38, was arrested on a US warrant on December 16 over allegations he had supplied the sophisticated drone navigation technology used in the lethal attack in January 2024. He was scheduled to appear at a Milan court on Wednesday after he asked to be granted a house arrest pending an extradition hearing.
But according to Iranian state TV, the Swiss-Iranian has already returned to his home country after the Italian justice minister asked a court to revoke his arrest. Mr Abedini's arrest had come three days before Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained while on a reporting trip to Iran. Ms Sala, who was believed to have been held as a bargaining chip for Abedini's release, returned to Italy last week. An official note on the case released by the Italian Justice Ministry on Sunday said that under Italy-US extradition treaties 'only crimes that are punishable according to the laws of both sides can lead to extradition, a condition which, based on the state of documents, can't be considered as existing.' The ministry said that the potential charge against Abedini - criminal association for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a US federal law - 'did not correspond to any conduct recognized by Italian law as a crime.' Mohammad Abedini (pictured) was arrested on an US warrant on December 16 over allegations he had supplied the sophisticated drone navigation technology used in the legal attack in January 2024 Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was believed to have been held as a bargaining chip for Abedini's release, returned home last week 'The decision taken by Justice Minister Carlo Nordio happily surprised us,' Mr Abedini's lawyer told Italian news agency Ansa. 'My client is now a free person and he will be able to smile and hope once again. He always repeated to me that he believed and had confidence in justice. Read More Italian journalist, 29, is FREED after spending weeks in an Iranian jail amid talks of a 'swap deal' Iranian state TV said the release and return of Abedini came after Iran's foreign ministry pursued the case, as well as 'talks' between Iran's intelligence ministry and the Italian intelligence service. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni described a 'diplomatic triangulation' with Iran and the United States as being key to securing Sala's release, confirming for the first time that Washington's interests entered into the negotiations. Sala's release came after Meloni made a surprise trip to Florida to meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The 29-year-old returned home and embraced her boyfriend Daniele Raineri after landing at Rome's Ciampino airport, before greeting Ms Meloni. In announcing that the journalist was flying home, Ms Meloni's office said the premier had personally informed Sala's parents and credited the release to the government's 'intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence channels'. Ms Sala is embraced by her parents after landing, having spent three weeks in a prison in Iran Ms Sala, 29, greeted Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni as she landed at Rome's Ciampino airport on Wednesday Iran's foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday that an Iranian national who was held in Italy had returned home, after Rome said it was seeking to revoke his arrest and extradition warrant. 'Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the release of Mr. Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an Iranian citizen detained in Italy, and his return to his homeland,' the ministry said in a statement
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