Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini, who was detained in Italy on a U.S. warrant, will return to Iran in the coming hours, the Iranian news agency Mizan said on Sunday, after Italy's justice minister filed to revoke his arrest.
"Mohammad Abedini was detained due to a misunderstanding which was resolved through ... Iran's foreign ministry efforts and negotiations between the concerned departments of the intelligence ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Italian intelligence services," reported Mizan, the news agency of Iran's judiciary.
Iran denied involvement in the drone attack and dismissed accusations that it had imprisoned Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was freed on Wednesday and returned home, in Tehran to pressure Rome into releasing Abedini.
Earlier on Sunday, the Italian justice ministry said the minister requested that Abedini's arrest be revoked. Under Italian law, courts must abide by the request.
"Minister (Carlo) Nordio filed a request with the Milan Court of Appeal to revoke the arrest of Iranian citizen Abedininajafabadi Mohammad," the ministry said in a statement.
Nordio wrote that legal conditions were not in place to extradite Abedini as that could only be done for offences punishable both in Italy and in the United States.
The statement said violations of the U.S. International Economic Emergency Powers Act did not correspond to conduct recognisable as a crime under Italian law. It added there was no evidence corroborating the other charges of supporting a terrorist organisation.
A spokesperson for the Italian justice ministry said he was not aware if Abedini had already left prison.
Nordio said in an interview published on Thursday that the U.S. had not yet submitted a formal request to extradite Abedini.
