Dubai: Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrested a British flight attendant for sharing a photo of a drone strike near Dubai International Airport amid the US-Iran war which has dragged on for more than five weeks now.
The 25-year-old man, who works as cabin crew for a local airline in the UAE, is being probed under the UAE’s strict cybercrime laws for publishing or sharing material that could “disturb public security” or incite panic.
If convicted, the flight attendant faces up to two years in prison, a fine of up to £40,000 (approximately Rs 49 lakh), followed by deportation.
According to the Daily Mail, the flight attendant was concerned about safety following explosions near Dubai Airport, caused by Iranian strikes in retaliation against joint US-Israeli attacks in their country since February 28.
After the airline assured its staff that the situation was not too dangerous, he clicked a photo of the heavily damaged area at the airport. He then shared the picture in a WhatsApp group with colleagues, asking, ‘Is it safe to walk through the airport?’
Some officials noticed the British fl
ight attendant taking photos, and police then examined his phone. After the photo was found in his phone, the man was arrested.
Crackdown on foreign nationals
Earlier, a 60-year-old British tourist was detained after recording footage of a strike, despite reportedly deleting the video when approached by authorities, BBC reported.
The arrests and detentions are part of a wider crackdown, with nearly 70 British citizens (including tourists, expats and cabin crew) being reportedly detained in the UAE for clicking images, filming videos, or sharing images related to Iranian drone and missile strikes.
According to Gulf News, at least 35 people were detained at one go, and additional arrests were made in separate cases, including foreign nationals and tourists.
“There are countless images, videos, and news reports circulating online about the conflict. People understandably assume that if something is already widely shared or published by media outlets, it must be acceptable to comment on or repost it. In the UAE, that assumption can be extremely dangerous,” stated Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai.
The British Embassy and Indian Embassy have issued advisories to their nationals to refrain from capturing or sharing sensitive security imagery.
The strict measures come as the reputation of the UAE, specifically Dubai, as a global hub for tourism and business has been badly hit by the ongoing war.
Iran has repeatedly hit back by striking at Gulf nations which are allies of the US.