ROME - Cecilia Sala, who was imprisoned by Iranian authorities three  weeks ago on unspecified charges has been released and was returning to Italy on Wednesday, according to an 11:30 am announcement from Palazzo Chigi.

 It stated that the plane repatriating Ms. Sala, ‘had departed moments ago from Iran’ and that they thanked ‘both their intelligence and diplomatic channels.’

 Prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed ‘a gratitude to all those who have contributed to making Cecilia’s return possible, allowing her back into the arms of her friends and family’, having informed the parents of the journalist herself moments prior to the announcement.

 Arrival at Roma - Ciampino was expected at 3:30 pm. 

 The announcement comes a few days following Meloni’s meeting with President-Elect Donald Trump, to discuss the matter. 

 The arrest of Sala was linked to that of Mohammad Abedini Najafebadi, 38, an Iranian engineer arrested at Malpensa days prior to Ms. Sala at the request of the American government, who accused him of having provided the Pasdaran revolutionary guards the electrical components for an attempted terrorist attack on the U.S. Military in Jordan. 

og