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 a military base in Jordan.
On Sunday, the Italian Justice Ministry stated that it did not have the grounds to extradite him. Shortly after the announcement, Iranian state media and Mr. Abedini’s lawyer claimed he was free, but the Italian government has not yet confirmed this information.
The request for the arrest to be revoked came just days after Iran released an Italian reporter, Cecilia Sala, who had been arrested in Iran three days after Mr. Abedini was detained. She was accused of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic, although specific details were not provided by the Iranian government.
While the Italian government has not confirmed any connection between the two cases, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mentioned last week that Ms. Sala’s release was the result of a diplomatic “triangulation” with the United States and Iran.
Following Italy’s announcement, IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, reported that Mr. Abedini “will return to his country in a few hours.”
In its statement, Italy’s Justice Ministry explained that, according to the extradition treaty between Italy and the United States, a person can only be extradited for crimes that are punishable in both countries. The ministry indicated that Mr. Abedini’s case did not meet this criterion.
One of the crimes he is accused of—conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws—is not punishable in Italy, according to the ministry. Additionally, the Justice Ministry stated that it had not received sufficient evidence to support another accusation against Mr. Abedini, which claimed he provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The ministry noted that it was aware only that Mr. Abedini produced and traded technologies with Iran that had potential, but not exclusive, military applications.