Aden, Yemen - (Xinhua) - The Houthi group in Yemen on Sunday released a British citizen who had been detained by the group in the capital, Sana'a, for 5 years.

The British ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, stated that British citizen Luke Simmons was released after 5 years of illegal detention.

On his Twitter account, the British ambassador thanked their partners, "the Saudis and Omanis, for their decisive support in securing Luke's release."

In addition, the British Foreign Office said in a statement today that "Luke Simmons, who has been illegally detained, has been released without charge or trial since 2017 in Yemen."

Simmons was 25 years old when he was illegally detained by the Houthi group, mistreated in solitary confinement and refused family visits, according to the statement.

"The British citizen has been flown to Muscat and will soon be reunited with his family in the UK," the British Foreign Office statement said.

British Simmons was arrested in April 2017 at a Houthi checkpoint in areas under the group's control in Taiz Governorate.

The British Simmons is married to a Yemeni woman, and has been residing in Yemen since 2012.