Deportation of WA man in Saudi Arabia delayed

The return of an Australian citizen who has spent months in legal limbo in Saudi Arabia has been delayed by at least two days.

The mother (L) of a man jailed in Saudi Arabia wants Julia Gillard to appeal to the Saudi king.

Junaid Thorne went into hiding after being detained twice for protesting the imprisonment of his older brother Shayden in November 2011 on terrorism-related offences.

He recently handed himself in to local authorities, who confiscated his passport.

Junaid was expected to be reunited with his mother in Perth by this afternoon but bureaucracy has held up his return for at least two days.