An innocent British Muslim was tricked into returning to a Houthi-run jail in Yemen in the midst of a mass prisoner exchange after the sudden breakdown of talks over his release.
Luke Symons, 30, who was detained on spurious spying charges, spent another 18 months within Yemen's brutal prison regime after being separated from a bus-load of former inmates on their way to Sanaa’s airport and a flight to freedom in October 2020.
A senior Houthi official collected the married father from a holding centre within hours of the group leaving prison and told him he would be taken to his family in Yemen – but he was instead dumped back at the prison where he was held without charge or trial.
Mr Symons was eventually released after a secret deal involving 11 other foreigners, brokered by Oman and Saudi Arabia, after five years behind bars. He flew back to the UK last month with his Yemeni wife and young son who was only three months old when he went to prison.
“That was the hardest part of being in that prison,” he told The National. "No one ever told you what you did or how long you were going to stay. Sometimes I don’t feel free because I’ve been traumatised. I still dream of being in prison.”
In his first interview since leaving prison, Mr Symons told of how:
- He was battered in an eight-hour torture session that ended only with the call to morning prayer
- Warders hid him in a locked room to avoid a Red Cross visit to repatriate foreign prisoners
- Rival extremist groups fought bloody battles in crowded cells armed with home-made knives
- Guards greeted new prisoners with revving chainsaws and threatened to carve them up
Mr Symons, a Muslim convert, travelled to Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2012 to advance his knowledge of the Islamic faith.
Traumatised by prison guards' horrific treatment
Mr Symons was later arrested in 2017 after he was stopped by a Houthi patrol in Taez and accused of spying because he was carrying a British passport.
He said his captors later admitted they had no evidence on which to hold him and went through the motions of preparing his release every few months without ever letting him go.
But hopes were high that he could be brought home in 2020 during the UN-backed swap involving more than 1,000 prisoners involved in Yemen's civil war – which also led to two American civilians being freed.
Senior Houthi officials had promised a UK government minister that Mr Symons would be released but they reneged on the deal, British officials say. The failure prompted accusations of Houthi double-dealing and criticisms of the UK government for not doing enough to secure his release.
Speaking at his grandparents’ home in Cardiff, Wales, Mr Symons told The National he has been left traumatised after the horrific treatment at the hands of the prison guards.
He said they encouraged fights between inmates who were kept 40 to a small room with a single toilet and forced to take turns lying down on the floor to sleep.
He said that rival extremist groups armed themselves with knives crafted from discarded tin cans. “ISIS were in there, in my room,” he said. “They used to tell everyone if you don’t sleep with one eye open … we’ll slaughter you all. They tried it a few times as well.”
'They hit me so many times with a pole, I kept getting headaches'
He went on an eight-day hunger strike in early 2019 in a protest to try to force his release but woke up in the jail’s hospital wing with a drip in his arm. He was returned to his overcrowded quarters later that day with the drip still attached.
After so many false dawns, Mr Symons said that he only believed he was free only when the plane carrying him and his family arrived in Oman to be met by British officials.
“As soon as I met the ambassador, he said 'do you want to see a doctor?'" he told The National. "I couldn’t help myself, I just started crying. So many years, I wanted to see a doctor. They hit me so many times with a pole, I kept getting headaches.”
My Symons saw himself in a mirror when he arrived at a hotel in Oman, the first time he had seen his image since his initial capture. “I had white hair, my hairline had gone back, I got some wrinkles here,” he said, pointing to his forehead. “They made me tired in prison. I saw an old man. I was quite upset – shocked.”
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
