Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian-American accused of spying, was released from Italian custody after his extradition request was denied. The timing of his release, alongside that of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, has fueled speculation that Sala was used as a bargaining chip for Abedini's freedom.
Mohammad Abedini, 38, was arrested in Milan in December on a warrant and extradition request made by the U.S. Department of Justice. Abedini and Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, an Iran ian-U.S. national, were accused of conspiring to export sensitive U.S. drone technology to Iran . Abedini also faced charges of supplying material used in the drone strike at a base in Jordan last year.
On Sunday, Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio put in a request to Milan's court of appeal to revoke Abedini's arrest after the Italian Justice Ministry determined it didn't have the grounds to follow through with the U.S. DOJ's extradition request. The Iranian Judiciary told IRNA that Abedini had been arrested following a 'misunderstanding' in Tehran.Sala, who came to Iran on a journalist visa, was accused of 'violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Sala was detained on Dec. 19, just three days after Abedini's arrest in Italy. The timing of both arrests and releases has led to speculation that Sala was used as a bargaining chip in exchange for Abedini's release. Sala's release also came just days after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Florida to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
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