Thorne was arrested in Saudi Arabia back in 2011 on terrorism charges. The first news of his return to Australia was broken exclusively by NITV News.
The Australian Government had successfully negotiated the release of Shayden Thorne, the older brother of Junaid Thorne, who was also returned to Australia in July last year.
Family and supporters had waited for three hours after his plane landed at Perth international airport.
Though their parents had been separated for most of Shayden and Junaid's life, father Graham Thorne was overcome with emotion.
"I love my son [and] always will. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them."
Though long estranged from his sons, Mr Thorne says he had held out hopes of Shayden's release.
"I didn't like Bob Carr's attitude, but the Australian consulate - they were very good, very helpful, very supportive," he said.
Shayden Thorne was jailed in 2011 after being accused of possessing terrorism-related material on a laptop. He was found guilty and sentenced to a four-and-a-half year prison sentence. He had been held for two-and-half before being granted clemency.
In a media statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs did not overplay his return.
In a media statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs did not overplay his return.
"The Department can confirm that consular assistance has been provided to Mr Thorne. The Australian Government provides consular assistance to Australians overseas who request it. The Department has no further comment."
The campaign to have Shayden released from prison gained mainstream coverage and momentum after his mother came to NITV with news of Shayden's imprisonment and the Saudi government's pursuit of Junaid Thorne back in April last year.
The family has frozen any further contact with the media for the time being. Shayden's mother and brother Junaid say they want to give Shayden time to recover from his ordeal.
No comments:
Post a Comment