The Italian Minister of Justice has called for the cancellation of the arrest and possible extradition of Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini. The latter, arrested in Milan at the request of the United States, is accused of having contributed to a deadly attack in Jordan against American soldiers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest information:
- Mohammad Abedini, the Iranian engineer who was arrested in Milan on December 16 at the request of the United States, was released on Sunday morning and is said to have already returned to Tehran, Italian agency ANSA reported.
- Earlier, Iranian authorities, via the official Mizan agency, reported that Abedini would be released and repatriated.in the next few hours“.
Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio filed with the Milan appeals court “a request for revocation of the arrest of Iranian citizen Abedini Najafabadi Mohammad”, arrested on a US arrest warrant at Malpensa airport last December. This is announced in an official note from the ministry which has just been published.
On January 15, the Court of Appeal was to rule on the extradition of Abedini, but according to the law, the Minister of Justice has the power to reject the request and release the engineer.
“According to Article 2 of the Extradition Treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Italian Republic, only offenses punishable by the laws of both contracting parties may give rise to extradition, a condition which, in the current state of affairs, cannot be considered as existing”we can read in the note published by the ministry.
It is added that “the accusation brought against Mr. Abedini, namely criminal conspiracy with a view to violating Ieepa (International Emergency Economic Powers Act – American federal law), does not correspond to the cases provided for and punished by the Italian penal system“.
It appears from the note that accusations of supporting terrorist activities are also excluded. With regard to the second and third counts, respectively “conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization resulting in death” et “providing and attempting to provide a material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death“no evidence has so far been provided to support the accusations, because “only the realization, through companies linked to it, of the production and trade with his country of technological instruments having potential, but not exclusive, military applications, has appeared with certainty”continues the note.
The decision comes four days after the release of Cecilia Sala
Iranian engineer Abedini was arrested on December 16 by Italian authorities at Milan Malpensa airport on a US warrant. The American Department of Justice accuses him, as well as another Iranian citizen, of having provided the mullahs’ regime, by circumventing embargoes, with the technology of drones used in January 2024 attack on US outpost in Jordanwhich cost the lives of three American soldiers.
Three days later, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, contributor to the daily Il Foglio and Chora Media, was arrested in Tehran for “violation of the laws of the Islamic Republic“. After 21 days of imprisonment in Evin prison, Cecilia Sala was released and returned to Italy on Wednesday January 8. Earlier, Prime Minister Meloni had traveled to Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to meet Donald Trump and discuss with him the Sala affair and Abedini’s arrest.
The Italian government has never confirmed the existence of an agreement providing for the release of Sala in exchange for that of Abedini.
The Milan public prosecutor’s office maintained its negative opinion on the request for house arrest made by the defense. The Iranian engineer will therefore remain in prison, at Milan-Opera, at least until January 15, the date of the hearing.
