LONDON
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n A British man has been charged under cyber-crime laws in Dubai for allegedly filming Iranian missiles over the city, UK authorities confirmed.\n <\/p>\n
\n The 60-year-old man, reported to be a tourist, was charged under a law that prohibits publishing or sharing material that could disturb public security. \u201cWe are in contact with the local authorities following the detention of a British man in the UAE,\u201d the United Kingdom\u2019s Foreign Office told CNN.\n <\/p>\n
\n CNN has reached out to the Dubai government for comment.\n <\/p>\n
\n Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE\u2019s minister of state to the EU, told the BBC she was \u201caware\u201d there had been \u201csome violations\u201d of the law but did not comment on the British man\u2019s case specifically. She said that the regulations had been introduced for public safety. \u201cMy best advice to everyone here, who we welcome being here\u2026 is follow the guidelines. The guidelines are there for your safety and for your protection.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The penalty for breaching cybercrime laws in the UAE is a minimum of two years in prison, as well as a 200,000 UAE dirham (around $54,000) fine.\n <\/p>\n
\n In an interview on UK radio station LBC<\/a>, the UAE\u2019s ambassador to the UK, Mansoor Abulhoul, said the \u201cUnited Arab Emirates is very safe.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n He said: \u201cThe guidelines and regulations are there in the UAE to ensure people\u2019s safety\u201d and that the UAE was discouraging people from filming so that they wouldn\u2019t be hit by \u201cfalling debris.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Last Friday, the Attorney General of the UAE warned people against circulating photos or videos showing the sites of attacks, or inaccurate information that might cause panic.\n <\/p>\n \n Another government warning, circulated by emails, text messages and public information announcements, said: \u201cPhotographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability. Compliance helps keep the community safe and stable.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n And another warned people to \u201cthink before you share. Spreading rumors is a crime.\u201d\n <\/p>\n