Italy releases Iranian man wanted by US over drone attack in Jordan
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Mohammad Abedini detained on US warrant three days before Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in Iran. Italy has released an Iranian citizen wanted by the US over a drone attack in Jordan that killed three Americans a year ago, after the Italian justice minister asked a court to revoke his arrest.
Mohammad Abedini has already returned to Iran, Iranian state TV said on Sunday afternoon. He was scheduled to appear at a Milan court on Wednesday in connection with his bid for house arrest pending extradition to the US. Abedini was arrested on a US warrant on 16 December, three days before Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained while on a reporting trip to Iran. Sala, who was believed to be held as a bargaining chip for Abedini’s release, returned home last week.
The US Department of Justice has accused Abedini of supplying the drone technology to Iran that was used in a January 2024 attack on a US outpost in Jordan that killed three American troops. 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”.
