Norway's security agency says that Italy has decided to pull back an extradition request for a Norway-based radical Iraqi-born cleric suspected of enticing recruits to fight in Iraq and Syria.

The PST agency says Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad — known as Mullah Krekar — will be released Wednesday.

Italy had claimed Mullah Krekar is behind Rawti Shax, a European-wide network aimed at violently overthrowing the government in the Iraqi-Kurdish region and replacing it with a radical caliphate.

Krekar's lawyer Brynjar Meling, whose client has denied the accusation, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK "it is a victory for the rule of law." Krekar holds a Norwegian residence permit.

It was not immediately clear when or why the Italians retracted the extradition request.