Working for a newspaper owned by a tech billionaire has its perks.
Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos flew to Germany this week to rendezvous with journalist Jason Rezaian, who was recently freed after a 544-day imprisonment in an Iranian jail, and personally escort him home in his private jet, CNN's Brian Stelter first reported.
A Post spokesperson said the e-commerce mogul also had dinner with Rezaian and his family at the U.S. military base in Germany where the reporter was undergoing a series of medical tests and reuniting with loved ones.
Post Executive Editor Marty Baron and Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl also travelled to Germany to meet Rezaian after news broke last week that he would be freed in a prisoner swap brokered as part of the U.S.-Iran deal.
Bezos previously gave Jehl a shoutout on Twitter.
Wheels up and out of Iranian airspace! Jason, Yegi, and Mary aboard. Doug Jehl and Ali Rezaian worked tirelessly on this. #JasonIsFree— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 17, 2016
Rezaian was reportedly in good spirits on Sunday after safely arriving in Germany.
“I want everyone to know that I’m feeling fine, and I feel lucky to be here at a place where I can get such terrific care," he said in a statement earlier this week.
Rezaian served as the Post's bureau chief in Tehran before he was imprisoned for espionage in the summer of 2014, then convicted last year in what was widely seen as a sham trial. Throughout the sentence, his family and coworkers at the Post campaigned the U.S. and Iranian government endlessly for his freedom.
Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013, commended their efforts and celebrated Rezaian's release in a series of tweets last week.
Believe me, if you’re ever tossed in a foreign prison, you want Fred Ryan and Marty Baron on the team working to get you out. #JasonIsFree— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 17, 2016
Wheels up and out of Iranian airspace! Jason, Yegi, and Mary aboard. Doug Jehl and Ali Rezaian worked tirelessly on this. #JasonIsFree— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 17, 2016
Rezaian says he plans to eventually tell the story of his time behind bars and return to writing about U.S.-Iranian relations, but for the time being, he just 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."