A video of Sanchez taken at Madrid’s Barajas Airport on Tuesday shows a joyful reunion with friends and family.
“It’s been a very long and very difficult journey, but I’m here in my country,” Sanchez said at the airport, Reuters reported. “We don’t realize how lucky we are to be born in this country.”
One of the first to announce that Sanchez would be released It was the Iranian embassy in Spain. Statement regarding Xthe last day of 2023.
“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is pleased to report the release of Santiago Sánchez Colledor, the only Spaniard imprisoned in Iran,” the embassy said. “His release takes place in accordance with the law and within the framework of the friendly and historic relations between the two countries.”
On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Álvarez confirmed that Mr Sanchez was on a flight back to Spain.
“Today, happiness is complete” Alvarez said in X, formerly known as Twitter. “Santiago will soon be able to join his family and friends in Spain.”
In his post, Alvarez also mentioned Ana Vaneira, a Spaniard who was backpacking in Iran when she was arrested by Iranian authorities in November 2022 on suspicion of spying.
According to Reuters, Vaneira was released after four months.
According to Al Jazeera, Sanchez’s family did not know whether he was still alive until Spanish authorities confirmed his detention. Mr. Sanchez had reportedly traveled to 15 countries before his arrest.
The 41-year-old had been documenting his journey online. They shared stories of the people they met along the way, photos and videos of the food they were provided and the places they slept. Her last Instagram post on October 1st detailed that she was about to arrive in Iran.
“The last village in northern Iraq,” he posted on Instagram. “Before arriving in Qatar, we have to go to the next country, Iran, across the mountain.”
While sharing photos and videos, Sanchez often wrote about the “hospitality, love, and affection” she received from strangers in different countries during her travels.
“I walked through Iraq and Kurdistan safer than in any capital city in the world,” he posted on September 14, adding later in the same post: TV taught me that. ”
Sanchez did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Tuesday.
According to Doha News, Sanchez began his journey to Doha from Alcalá de Henares, a city northeast of Madrid, in early 2022 and had hoped to arrive at the World Cup venue by November. Previously, the former paratrooper cycled from Spain to Saudi Arabia to watch a Real Madrid match.
“The nightmare is finally over,” Sanchez’s mother Celia Colledor said at the airport on Tuesday, according to Reuters. She particularly expressed her gratitude to the Spanish Ambassador to Iran, Ángel Lozada, who helped negotiate her son’s release.
Sanchez also thanked Lozada. Despite the ordeal, he added, “I would probably go back to Iran even if you told me not to.”
“I want the Iranian authorities to understand that they have to free people,” Sanchez told reporters. If you put a fence in front of me, I’ll jump over it. ”