Jason Rezaian will get to see the new “Star Wars” soon: The Washington Post reporter, held prisoner in Iran for more than 500 days, announced Friday he is flying home.
The announcement came two days after another statement in which the 39-year-old said he wants “to catch up with what’s been going on in the world, watch a Warriors game or two, and see the Star Wars movie.”
Rezaian and his family stayed at a guest house on a U.S. base in Landstuhl, Germany, after he flew there from Iran on Sunday. He was set free in a negotiation that also led to the release of three other Iranian American detainees, clemency for seven Iranians in the U.S., and charges being dropped against other Iranians, the Post reported.
“Today my family and I left Landstuhl to return home to the United States,” Rezaian said in a statement. “I appreciate the exceptional care I received from the doctors and medical staff, as well as the hospitality we were shown during our stay on the base.”
Rezaian said he felt well despite 49 days in solitary confinement, infections and weight loss, the Post said.
In his statement earlier this week, Rezaian said he planned to write about U.S.-Iranian relations again, but wanted to take time now to enjoy life and be with his family. The Post said he was convicted in a secret trial in October on “vague charges of espionage and other alleged offenses.”