Thai court orders release of Bahrain refugee soccer player

By The Associated Press

BANGKOK — A Thai court has ordered the release of a refugee soccer player after prosecutors said they were no longer seeking his extradition to Bahrain.

Court spokesman Suriyan Hongvilai said Monday that Hakeem al-Araibi was now being processed for release.

The director general of the attorney general office’s international affairs department said prosecutors on Monday submitted to court a request to withdraw the case to extradite al-Araibi to Bahrain, where he faces a 10-year prison sentence for an arson attack that damaged a police station. He has denied those charges and says the case is politically motivated.

The director general, Chatchom Akapin, said they made the decision after Thailand’s foreign ministry sent his department a letter Monday morning that indicated that Bahrain had withdrawn its request for al-Araibi.

The Associated Press

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