A Scottish man once dubbed the "Tartan Taliban" has been freed from custody in Pakistan, Britain's Foreign Office and his family said on Thursday.
James McLintock, 44, who has converted to Islam and is also known as Yaqub Mohammed, was arrested in February although the charges against him are unclear.
He has reportedly been arrested twice before on suspicion of links to terrorism -- including once in Afghanistan in 2001 -- but released without charge.
The BBC reported in April that this time, McLintock was held in Peshawar, near the Afghan border, in connection with an alleged foiled terrorist plot in Britain earlier this year.
His mother, Margaret McLintock of Arbroath, eastern Scotland, confirmed he had been released and was now back home in Pakistan with his Pakistani wife and children.
Her local lawmaker Mike Weir said McLintock had been freed unexpectedly on Friday. "We still don't know why he was arrested in the first place and why he was detained for so long," he said.
"As far as I'm aware, he has been released without any charge... there was no official confirmation that he was being held, where he was being held and what if any charge he was held on."
The Foreign Office in London added: "We can confirm that a British national has been released from custody in Pakistan and is back at home with his wife and children.."
{{/usCountry}}The Foreign Office in London added: "We can confirm that a British national has been released from custody in Pakistan and is back at home with his wife and children.."
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