Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu emerged defiant after 18 years in prison on Wednesday, saying he was proud of revealing secrets that exposed the Jewish state as an atomic power.
Vanunu flashed victory signs and waved as he walked through the gates of Ashkelon's Shikma Prison, where supporters cheered him as a "peace hero" and counter-demonstrators booed him with chants of "Shut up, atomic spy".
"I am proud and happy to do what I did," the grey-haired, former nuclear technician said standing before a bank of television cameras flanked by two of his brothers.
Vanunu's 1986 revelations to a British newspaper about the top-secret Dimona reactor led security analysts to conclude Israel had amassed an arsenal of 100 to 200 nuclear warheads, one of the world's largest stockpiles.
Vanunu, 49, complained bitterly of "cruel and barbaric treatment" at the hands of Israel's security services but insisted he had no more state secrets to divulge after serving his full term on a conviction for treason and espionage.
Fearing he could leak more classified information, Israel put him under close surveillance and slapped restrictions on his movements, including a one-year ban on travel abroad.
Justice Minister Yosef Lapid threatened to send him back to jail if he violated the conditions imposed on him.
Vanunu's lawyer, Dan Yakir, said he would appeal the restrictions to Israel's Supreme Court "in the coming days."
Vanunu's release cast a spotlight on Israel's undeclared nuclear programme, which experts say has advanced despite a sharp reduction in strategic threats to the Jewish state since the US-led invasion of Iraq a year ago.
Long-time foe Libya is scrapping weapons of mass destruction and Iran has agreed to UN inspections of its nuclear plants.
Vanunu, a Moroccan-born immigrant, refused to answer questions in Hebrew during an impromptu news conference broadcast live on state television, saying he was protesting against Israel's limits on his contacts with foreigners.
Supporters fear for his safety in Israel, where most people despise him as a traitor and see the country's undeclared nuclear capability as protection against hostile neighbours and an insurance policy against a repeat of the Nazi Holocaust.
Among the restrictions Vanunu faces is a ban on approaching ports and borders. His phone will be tapped and his Internet correspondence monitored, security sources said. British actress Susannah York, among the anti-nuclear campaigners who came to Israel to celebrate Vanunu's release, said: "It's a gross violation of human rights."
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