Published May 03, 2016
A Florida helicopter mechanic whose Facebook post complaining about his employer in the United Arab Emirates got him arrested has returned home to the United States.
Ryan Pate got off a plane Tuesday and hugged his fiancee and mother at the Tampa International Airport.
Pate, of Belleair Bluffs, was arrested last month in Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich Emirati capital, over allegations that he violating local defamation laws. He was accused of making a Facebook post during a visit to the United States that disparaged Arabs and his employer, Global Aerospace Logistics. He was reportedly upset following a dispute with his employer over sick leave.
Pate was allowed to leave the country after a hearing last week. The company agreed to drop the charges against him.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/american-jailed-in-united-arab-emirates-on-charges-of-defaming-employer-on-facebook-back-in-us