ROME, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- An Italian reporter detained in Iran was freed and returned home on Wednesday.
Cecilia Sala, 29, was brought back on a military plane and landed Wednesday afternoon at Rome Ciampino airport where she was welcomed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other cabinet members.
Her liberation came after "intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence channels," the Italian government said in a statement.
A known podcaster with Chora Media group, and writer with Il Foglio daily, Sala had traveled to Iran on Dec. 13 with a press visa, and was arrested on Dec. 19 for violating the laws of the Islamic Republic, according to the Iranian Culture Ministry.
President Sergio Mattarella also paid compliment to Meloni for the journalist's return, and called the family of the reporter in solidarity.
The detention of Sala in Iran was reportedly intertwined with that of Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested at Milan airport on Dec. 16 on a warrant issued by the United States.
The U.S. government suspected him of providing materials for a drone attack that hit a U.S. military base in Jordan in Jan. 2024 and killed three staff.
Currently, in pre-trial custody, the man was due to appear in court on Jan. 15, when his detention order could be either upheld or dismissed.
In a statement on Jan. 2 concerning the country's ongoing efforts to bring Sala back home, Meloni's government had mentioned the Iranian national, though without making any explicit connection between the two events.
"With regard to Mohammad Abedini, currently in pre-trial detention at the request of U.S. authorities, the (Italian) government reiterates that all detainees are guaranteed equal treatment in accordance with Italian law and international conventions," it said.
