Refugee footballer held in Thailand spared extradition to Bahrain

BANGKOK: Refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi will not be sent back to Bahrain after Thailand dropped extradition proceedings against him at the Gulf state's request, a prosecutor said Monday, ending a two-month detention ordeal that stirred global outcry.

Araibi, 25, a former Bahraini national youth team player, was granted refugee status in Australia after fleeing charges in the oil-rich kingdom connected to Arab Spring protests. But he was stopped at Bangkok's main airport at Bahrain's request on November 27 as he arrived in Thailand for his honeymoon. He has been detained since in a Bangkok prison pending a court ruling on the extradition request from Bahrain -- a move the footballer had pleaded against saying he fears torture if returned. Monday brought a stunning about-turn from the Bahraini government, which withdrew the extradition request, said Chatchom Akapin, director-general of the International Affairs Department at the prosecutor's office.