It didn’t take long for Iran to release captured Italian journalist Cecilia Sala. They turned her loose shortly after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dropped in to Mar-a-Lago, for a surprise visit with President Trump. The same day Iran put Sala on a plane back to Rome, the Ayatollah coincidentally surfaced in public. He hasn’t been seen for a while. Rumors were swirling that he survived a heart attack, stroke, hit attempt or other serious ailment, right after Trump was elected.
Journalist on way home
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala had been reporting from Iran. That made the 29-year-old a target for political kidnapping. As soon as Donald Trump was pulled into the picture, the Ayatollah shook her loose.
She had been arrested December 19, on questionable charges. Everybody knew that her abduction was a response to the arrest of an Iranian engineer in Milan, three days earlier.
Italian authorities were holding the Iranian on charges of “supplying drone technology that led to the deaths of U.S. soldiers.” They would have needed U.S. approval to swap him for their journalist.
Trump told the visiting Prime Minister he would look into what could be done, without handing over a terrorist in exchange. Apparently, he made a few phone calls.
Sala is extremely pleased to be free. Earlier reports noted that the journalist “had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.”
Nobody is talking about what it was exactly that triggered her sudden and unconditional release. However, “the news was broken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s officials who cited ‘intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels.‘”
All those who contributed
In the carefully worded official statement, Ms. Meloni thanked “all those who contributed to to making Cecilia’s return possible.”
Trump could be one of them. The journalist was freed as soon as his name was mentioned in the news stories. The Italian prime minister “personally told Sala’s parents of her release.”
They also note that “Meloni had met U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at the weekend.” Without getting specific, they mention Trump expected to discuss the journalist with a few of his connections.
Prime Minister Meloni’s personal trip to Mar-a-Lago is seen by all the beltway pundits as a total snub to lame duck Joe Biden.
Joe’s scheduled to pay a call to Italy later this week. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him or the Democrats.
It’s clear to most of the world leaders that Trump is the one to deal with and he’s been on the job since November. It will be interesting to see if the Italian journalist attends his upcoming inauguration.
