Comedy writer Graham Linehan is believed to have permanently left Britain for Arizona following his arrest by armed officers at Heathrow Airport over social media posts concerning transgender issues.

The Father Ted creator was detained by five armed police on September 1 when returning to face trial for allegedly harassing a transgender woman. His arrest was related to three tweets posted whilst in America.

The 57-year-old Irish-born writer, who spent three decades in the UK, has established residence in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the Daily Mail, and previously told podcaster Joe Rogan he secured a three-year visa, believed to be an H-1B for individuals of “distinguished merit or ability”.

Mr Linehan stated his UK life had become “unbearable” and that Britain no longer values free speech regarding transgender debates.

The writer now resides in a two-bedroom flat within a luxury Scottsdale complex, paying approximately £2,600 monthly rent.

The development features resort-style amenities including indoor and outdoor pools, a rooftop spa, gym facilities, and an outdoor theatre.

Mr Linehan has established Friendly Fire, a production company alongside former Saturday Night Live performer Rob Schneider and Northern Irish playwright Andrew Doyle. Their comedy project titled Tenure is scheduled to begin filming within weeks.

Mr Schneider, who Mr Linehan credits with “incredible kindness”, shares similar views on transgender issues.

Mr Linehan’s outspoken stance on transgender matters led to the cancellation of a planned Father Ted musical and destroyed his television career.

He wrote in his autobiography, Tough Crowd, that watching former friends abandon him felt like “Each betrayal sits in my memory like crows dotted along a telephone wire.”

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His 16-year marriage to writer Helen Serafinowicz ended in 2020 following the professional and financial turmoil. After the separation, he lived in a small south London docklands flat.

Speaking on the Spiked podcast, Mr Linehan declared: “I wasn’t just expelled out of comedy, I was expelled out of the middle classes.”

He expressed disgust with UK entertainment industry colleagues, calling them “a bunch of cowards who look the other way while whole generations of kids were hurt.”

Mr Linehan aims to establish himself permanently in America, stating: “My visa’s three years and my aim is to make myself so useful to the Americans that they won’t let me go!”

He contrasted his eight years without UK work against his immediate American opportunities. “If I had come out here three or four years earlier, I would have been working, back with something on air by now,” he said.

The writer declared he never wants to work with UK productions again, citing the country’s “abominable” behaviour over the past decade.

He praised Arizona as “a free country, in a way that the UK has ceased to be.”

His supporters are advocating for “Linehan’s Law” to prevent British citizens being “arrested, silenced or gagged for expressing lawful speech.”