Matthew Hedges doctoral student at Durham University charged for spying in United Arab Emirates

A British academic has been charged for spying in the United Arab Emirates, UAE authorities said on Monday, five months after he was arrested at the end of a study trip.

Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University, was arrested on May 5 at Dubai airport after a two-week visit and has been kept in solitary confinement since then, his wife Daniela Tejada said last week.

"The Attorney General of United Arab Emirates ... confirmed today that Mr Matthew Hedges, a British Citizen, has been charged with spying for and on behalf of a foreign State, jeopardizing the military, economy and political security of the UAE," the government said in a statement.