"Australia is my country. I don't have citizenship yet, but my country is Australia ... I love Australia," Araibi said after he disembarked in Melbourne airport from a Thai Airways flight. Hundreds of supporters clamoured to embrace him, TV footage showed. He wore the playing shirt of Pascoe Vale, the semi-professional team he plays for in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.
He thanked his supporters, who cheered: "Welcome home Hakeem!" Araibi was arrested in Bangkok in November while on honeymoon following an Interpol notice issued at Bahrain's request.
His arrest drew widespread international condemnation. Bahrain, under heavy diplomatic pressure, agreed to drop its bid to have him extradited from Thailand. (Reporting by Colin Packham Editing by Paul Tait)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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