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Three British plane spotters released in UAE
Three British plane-spotting hobbyists who were arrested two months ago in the United Arab Emirates on national security grounds have been released, Britain`s Foreign Office said on Thursday.
London: Three British plane-spotting hobbyists who were arrested two months ago in the United Arab Emirates on national security grounds have been released, Britain`s Foreign Office said on Thursday.
Relatives of the men had said they were detained after being observed plane spotting at Fujairah airport, a pastime in which people photograph aircraft and log their registration numbers.
"We can confirm the release of three British nationals detained in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates on 21st of February," a spokesman for Britain`s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.
"We are providing consular assistance."
Conrad Clitheroe, 53, and his friend Gary Cooper, 45, both from Manchester in northwest England, were on a four-day trip to the UAE when they were arrested with their former work colleague Neil Munro, a UAE resident.
Radha Stirling, the founder of the charity Detained in Dubai, said that charges of espionage against the three had been dropped.
"They have had a long time to wait to be told your case is ridiculous," Stirling said.
Clitheroe`s wife Valerie had written to British Prime Minister David Cameron to ask him to intervene in the case, raising concerns about her husband`s health due to his heart murmur and high blood pressure.