LONDON:-  Britain’s Karl Andree, who was facing the threat of flogging in Saudi Arabia for being caught with home-made wine, is to be released from custody, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Wednesday. “Delighted to announce Brit Karl Andree will be released from Saudi custody within a week and reunited with his family,” Hammond wrote on Twitter after meeting King Salman on a visit to Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister David Cameron added on Twitter that the news was “good to hear”.–AFP
–AFPThe family of Andree, 74, said he had been told he faced 350 lashes in public after serving a year behind bars for being caught with home-made wine.
Production and consumption of alcohol are banned in Saudi Arabia.
Cameron wrote to the Saudi government about Andree’s case earlier this month and his spokeswoman had called the case “extremely concerning”.