An American citizen convicted on terrorism charges in the United Arab Emirates said on Thursday he confessed under torture and suspected that US authorities played a role in his detention and prosecution in the Gulf country. Naji Hamdan, an American of Lebanese origin, was deported to Lebanon last week after completing his 18-month sentence in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates' highest court convicted Hamdan on Oct. 12 on terrorism-related charges, including having links to an al-Qaida-affiliated group in Iraq, and sentenced him to 18 months in prison. Hamdan, 43, was freed shortly afterward because the court counted time he served before his conviction.