Santiago Sanchez walked from Spain to the World Cup in Qatar, but ended up in Iran, was accused of espionage and spent 15 months in prison. After returning to his country after 15 months, the Iberian says he is already planning his return to the Islamic Republic, Reuters reports.

Released after 15 months in prison in Iran, the Spaniard says he plans to return

Sanchez was last heard from on October 1, 2022, when he also sent friends a photo of himself on the Iraq-Iran border.

He was detained after he visited and photographed the burial site of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for violating an Iranian law that requires women to cover their heads, arms and legs.

The Iranian embassy in Madrid announced the release of Santiago Sanchez on New Year’s Eve, and he landed at Madrid’s Barajas airport on Tuesday.

“It was a very long and very difficult period, but I am here in my country. We don’t realize how lucky we are to be born here, in this country (Spain – no)”; said Santiago Sanchez.

The Iberian said Ángel Losada (Spain’s ambassador to Iran) is “a real phenomenon and a master negotiator” but said he would not heed his advice: “I will probably return to Iran, even if you told me not to. do it”.

Sanchez says he wants the Iranian authorities to “understand that you can’t say no, that you have to let people go. If you put a fence in front of me, I will jump over it.”

Iran’s embassy in Spain said Sanchez’s release took place “within the framework of historical and friendly relations between the two countries and in accordance with Iran’s laws.”

“The nightmare is finally over. The worst were the first months (after his disappearance – no), because no one knew if he was alive or dead,” said Celia Cogeador, Santiago Sanchez’s mother.