A Co Wicklow property renovator, who was prevented from leaving Dubai for allegedly having sent a text message allegedly containing threatening emojis, is on his way back to Ireland, a UAE-based campaign group has said.
Stuart Quiney, from Laragh, had been told he could not leave Dubai over the correspondence sent to a Belgian acquaintance whom he claimed cleared his possessions from an apartment without his permission.
The 39-year-old’s case was taken up by the Detained in Dubai campaign group. Its founder, Radha Stirling, posted on X on Wednesday saying Mr Quiney was on flight from the UAE to Dublin.
He has now been permitted to leave the country having previously been forbidden to do so by authorities for some three months, she said.
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The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of Mr Quiney’s case and had provided consular assistance.
“As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” a spokesman said.
Ms Stirling said Mr Quiney had accompanied his friend to Dubai to help him get set up in the UAE in January 2022.
However, he became involved in a dispute involving his personal possessions, which he claimed were removed from an apartment while he was away.
After returning to Ireland following his initial visit, he was said to have sent a message containing some emojis, of a ninja and blood drop, to the person he believed had removed the possessions.
When Mr Quiney next visited Dubai in September of this year, he was interviewed at Al Barsha police station and told he could not leave the country.
Ms Stirling said Mr Quiney could have faced several years in prison under strict laws that prohibit rude, offensive or threatening text messages.
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