Malaysia on Sunday deported a young Saudi journalist wanted in his home country over a Twitter post about the Prophet Mohammed, defying pleas from human rights group who said he faced execution.
Hamza Kashgari, who was detained in Malaysia on Thursday after fleeing Saudi Arabia, has now left the country, national police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf said.
“He was deported to Saudi Arabia,” Ramli told AFP. A government official said Kashgari was escorted back to his home country by Saudi officials.
“He has been deported. He was picked up by Saudi officials at the airport,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Kashgari fled to Muslim-majority Malaysia after making comments on the microblogging site deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, which triggered outrage and death threats.
Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by execution in Saudi Arabia.
Published 12 February 2012, 18:56 IST