Elon Musk’s influence has stretched far beyond electric cars and social media platforms, with the billionaire reportedly secretly orchestrating the release of an Italian journalist from an Iranian prison earlier this month.

Despite holding a valid journalist visa, Cecilia Sala was arrested on December 19 and spent approximately 20 days in Iran’s notorious Evin prison before being released back to Italy. Sala’s boyfriend desperately reached out to Musk through intermediaries after learning of his relationship with Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, the New York Times reports.

While Iranian authorities never publicly disclosed the specific charges against Sala, they later claimed she had violated the country’s laws without providing further details. But the 29-year-old’s arrest was no coincidence. Iranian sources tell the Times it was a calculated move to secure the release of one of their own. U.S. authorities have been pushing Italy to extradite Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini over a drone attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan last year.