An Italian journalist arrested in Iran last month has been released and is on a plane returning to Rome, the Italian government said.
Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on December 19, three days after Italian authorities arrested an Iranian engineer in Milan on suspicion of providing drone technology that led to the deaths of American soldiers.
Reports said she was held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.
It is unclear what led to Sala's release, but the news was broken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's officials who cited “intensive work through diplomatic and intelligence channels.”
In the Italian statement, Meloni thanked “everyone who contributed to making Cecilia's return possible.”
She added that she personally informed Sala's parents of her release. Sala's plane had already left Tehran and was scheduled to arrive in Rome at 15:30 (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the ANSA news agency.
Her partner, fellow journalist Daniele Reneri, told ANSA news agency: “I spoke to her and she said, ‘I’ll see you soon,’ and she was emotional and overjoyed.”
Cecilia Sala's detention in a Tehran prison has angered Italians and has made headlines since the podcast company she works for, Chura Media, announced her arrest on December 27.
Meloni is understood to have taken charge of her case personally and met US President-elect Donald Trump at the weekend, where the journalist's detention is believed to have been discussed.
Outgoing President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Rome later this week.
Iran initially said it had detained Sala on charges of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,” but US State Department officials said he may be linked to the arrest of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini at Milan's Malpensa Airport on December 16.
He was arrested on a US warrant, and one official told Italian media that Sala was being used as a “political pressure tool.”
Mohammad Abedini is scheduled to appear before a court in Milan on January 15, and Tehran has played down in recent days any connection between the two cases.
The head of Italy's foreign intelligence service, Giovanni Caravelli, is said to have personally traveled to Tehran to return Sala to Italy.
Her father, Renato Sala, told ANSA news agency he was proud of her and praised the government for the “extraordinary work.”
He said he had the impression that the situation had turned into “a chess game, but with more than two players.”
