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

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 said it did not have the grounds to extradite him. Soon after the announcement, Iranian state media and Mr. Abedini’s lawyer said he was free, but the Italian government has not yet confirmed that.

The Italian ministry’s request for the arrest to be revoked came just 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.

Shortly after Italy’s announcement, IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, said that the man “will return to his country in a few hours.”

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.

Italy’s Justice Ministry also said that it had not received evidence to justify another accusation leveled against Mr. Abedini: that he allegedly provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The Justice Ministry said that it knew only that Mr. Abedini produced and traded technologies with Iran that had potential, but not exclusive, military use.

Leily Nikounazar contributed reporting from Brussels.