Autistic Israeli arrested in Dubai for cannabis possession has been released - report

An Israeli man on the autism spectrum who was arrested in Dubai for cannabis possession has been released and is returning to Israel, N12 reported on Monday.

The man arrived in Dubai on a connecting flight from Thailand about three weeks ago and was arrested in the Emirati city while trying to make a stopover on his way back from Thailand. 29 grams of the drug were seized from him.

In Israel, he does have a license to use cannabis, but the same license is not valid in Dubai.

The Israeli citizen was reportedly detained in Dubai for two and a half weeks. Throughout that entire period, the Israeli Foreign Ministry worked with authorities in Dubai in order to bring about the release of the citizen and his return to Israel.

The Foreign Minister's comments

"Congratulations on the success of efforts to return the Israeli citizen who was arrested in Dubai," Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said. "I would like to express my appreciation to the Foreign Ministry personnel at the Israeli Consulate in Dubai and at the headquarters in Jerusalem who worked tirelessly in recent days to return the citizen to Israel."

Cohen also thanked Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his involvement in the aid efforts.

"This is another example of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's activity, which stands by Israelis abroad constantly, all year round and around the clock," Cohen said.