Refugee Bahraini footballer, freed from Thai jail, says 'I love Australia'


Refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi arrives at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, February 12, 2019. AAP Image/David Crossing via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A refugee Bahraini footballer who was held in a Thai prison for more than two months at the Gulf state's request arrived in his adoptive home Australia on Tuesday, television pictures showed, to cheers and the great relief of his wife.

Hakeem Al Araibi, 25, who fled Bahrain in 2014 and received refugee status in Australia, was released from prison in Bangkok on Monday. Authorities in Bahrain accused Araibi of crimes committed during the Arab Spring protests of 2011, charges which he denied.

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