Ali Issa Ahmad: British football fan detained 'for wearing Qatar shirt' is freed

A British man held in the United Arab Emirates reportedly for wearing a Qatar shirt has been freed and has left the country, say Sky sources.

Ali Issa Ahmad, 26, was arrested in Sharjah emirate on 22 January, apparently after he had the Qatar shirt on at a football match - considered an offence in the UAE.

The dual British-Sudanese national, who lives in Wolverhampton, was arrested while on holiday in the Gulf state.

UAE officials denied he was detained for wearing the garment and insisted he had been charged after making false assault allegations to officers.

The UAE embassy in London said Mr Ahmad had turned up at a police station falsely claiming to have been beaten up for wearing the shirt when actually he inflicted the injuries on himself.

The UAE government said Mr Ahmad had admitted making false statements and wasting police time after being charged on 24 January and would face court.

Allowed to make a phone call on 31 January, Mr Ahmad called his friend Amer Lokie, who told a British newspaper he had been "beaten" by security men after being accused of promoting Qatar.

The UK Foreign Office had said it was providing assistance to "a British man arrested in the UAE and we are in touch with the local authorities".

Earlier this week, a British academic who endured solitary confinement in the UAE told Sky News he was concerned about Mr Ahmad.

In its advice for visitors to the UAE, the Foreign Office warns that anyone "showing sympathy for Qatar on social media or by any other means of communication could be jailed or handed a 'substantial' fine".

The laws were introduced after the UAE joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in cutting ties with Qatar in 2017 over allegations the tiny, oil-rich state supports Islamic extremists. Doha denies the charges.