 On June 23, 2008, Batebi left Iraq for the United States.After a short airport transit through Austria, he arrived in Washington Dulles International Airport on June 24, 2008, where he was escorted by officials from the National Security Council from his plane to the international section of the airport, where the White House officials transferred his custody to his then lawyer, Lily Mazahery.Following his escape to the U.S., Batebi appeared in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) Persian TV in which he explained the story of his escape.