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An American graduate student was released from prison in Iran after nearly three years as part of a prisoner exchange this weekend.

Xiyue Wang, a Ph.D. student of history at Princeton University, was released and flown from Tehran to Switzerland, where he was met by U.S. Special Representative Brian Hook. Wang, a Chinese national and naturalized American citizen, was in Iran studying the Qajar dynasty when he was arrested in August 2016. Wang, 38, was accused of attempting to smuggle documents and was convicted on two counts of espionage in April 2017.

Since his imprisonment, Wang’s wife, Qu Hua, with whom he has a young child, had worked with Princeton and the U.S. government to secure her husband’s release. President Trump also made several requests to Iran to have Wang returned to the United States. The exchange of prisoners also secured the release of Iranian citizen Massoud Soleimani, who was being held in an Atlanta jail on charges of violating U.S. sanctions.

“We thank our Swiss partners for their assistance in negotiating Mr. Wang’s release with Iran,” Trump said in a statement. “The highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas.”

Wang’s wife also expressed gratitude that her family would soon be reunited. “Our family is complete once again. Our son Shaofan and I have waited three long years for this day, and it’s hard to express in words how excited we are to be reunited with Xiyue,” she said. “We are thankful to everyone who helped make this happen.” Wang was transported from Switzerland to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he will undergo a medical evaluation before returning to the U.S.

Jason Poblete, Wang’s lawyer, bemoaned the political nature of his client’s imprisonment. “Hua & Shaofan are a remarkable young family on a new journey,” he said on Twitter. “Innocent, unjustly detained & for political reasons, suffered for over three years in Evin. This could’ve been avoided. Stakeholders on all sides should help secure the release of others and keep open a pathway.”