Abedini to Remain in Custody, U.S. Officials Insist to Milan Judges

MILAN: A document submitted by U.S. judicial officials to an appeals court in Milan asserts that Mohammed Abedini Najafabadi, a Swiss-Iranian national arrested at Milan’s Malpensa Airport, poses a significant threat and should remain incarcerated.

According to Ansa News Agency, the four-page document was conveyed through diplomatic channels shortly after the 38-year-old’s arrest on December 16. Abedini’s lawyer, Alfredo de Francesco, has requested the court to consider house arrest for his client. The decision now lies with the appeals court, which is slated to deliberate on the matter.

Abedini is currently held in Milan’s Opera Prison. The Massachusetts Department of Justice’s note will be reviewed by the State attorney’s office at Milan’s appeals court, which must provide a non-binding opinion regarding the house arrest request.

Judicial sources indicate that the State attorney’s office is expected to present its opinion on Friday. Subsequently, the appeals court plans to schedule a hearing next week to address the case.

Abedini’s arrest at Milan’s Malpensa Airport was executed on a U.S. warrant. He is accused of supplying drone components used in a January 2023 attack that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. servicemen in Jordan.