Italian Justice Ministry Moves to Release Iranian Man Sought by the U.S.

Italian Justice Ministry Moves to Release Iranian Man Sought by the U.S.

NY Times-Jan 12th2025

Italy’s justice minister has requested the revocation of the arrest of an Iranian man sought by the United States for allegedly providing material used in a drone attack that killed three American soldiers, the Italian government announced on Sunday.

Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, 38, was arrested last month in Milan and the U.S. Justice Department had asked for his extradition. He was charged with illegally providing material used in the attack by an Iranian-backed militia on an American military base in Jordan.

On Sunday evening, IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, reported that Mr. Abedini had reached Tehran. Despite repeated requests for confirmation, Italy has not yet announced that it freed the man or that he left the country.

The Italian ministry’s request, which was filed to a court, came only days after Iran freed an Italian reporter, Cecilia Sala, who had been arrested in Iran three days after Mr. Abedini was detained. She was arrested on accusations of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic, though the Iranian government never provided details.

While the Italian government never confirmed any connection between the two cases, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said last week that Ms. Sala’s release was the result of a diplomatic “triangulation” with the United States and Iran.

On Sunday, the Italian Justice Ministry said it had not had the grounds to extradite Mr. Abedini. A U.S. Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

IRNA, citing the judiciary’s media center, reported on Sunday that Mr. Abedini’s arrest had been a misunderstanding that was resolved with diplomacy between Iran and Italy and cooperation between Iran’s and Italy’s intelligence services.

In Sunday’s government statement, Italy’s Justice Ministry said that according to the extradition treaty between Italy and the United States, a person could be extradited only for crimes that are punished in both countries. Mr. Abedini’s case, they said, did not fit the criteria.One of the crimes that he is accused of — conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws — is not punished in Italy, the ministry said.