British consulate employee Simon Cheng was released from detention in Shenzhen and returned to his family in Hong Kong on Saturday, 15 days after going missing.

Axar.az reports citing foreign median that his release came as Hong Kong subway operator MTR angered protesters by shutting down five subway stations ahead of a planned protest march.

Cheng’s family released a statement saying he had returned to Hong Kong and thanks “everyone for your support”.

“Simon and his family wish to have some time to rest and recover, and will not take any interview for the moment... we will explain later,” it said.