MINNEAPOLIS: A US man has been released from prison in the UAE after being been held for nine months for posting a parody video about Dubai’s youth culture online, a spokeswoman for his family said Thursday.

Shezanne Cassim, 29, was arrested in April and had been held at a maximum security prison in Abu Dhabi since June.

In a brief news release, Jennifer Gore, a spokeswoman for Cassim’s family, said he would arrive at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear when he was released from prison.

The National daily has said Cassim and his codefendants were accused of defaming the country’s image abroad. Cassim’s supporters said he was charged with endangering state security under a 2012 cybercrimes law that tightened penalties for challenging authorities.

Gulf Arab authorities have been cracking down on social media use over the past two years, with dozens of people arrested across the region for Twitter posts deemed offensive to leaders or for social media campaigns urging more political openness.

Cassim’s documentary-style video, titled “Ultimate Combat System: The Deadly Satwa Gs,” is set in the Satwa district of Dubai. It opens with text saying the video is fictional and is not intended to offend. The video pokes fun at Dubai youth who style themselves like “gangstas” and shows fictional “combat” training that includes throwing a sandal and using a mobile phone to call for help.