The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered the arrest of 35 individuals, including 19 Indians, for posting videos on social media that contained misleading or fabricated content amid the Middle East war that began late last month after US-Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iran. Authorities in the UAE said the suspects will face an expedited trial after a probe revealed they used digital platforms to circulate manipulated footage and narratives linked to ongoing regional tensions.
The action came in two parts. The latest list includes 25 individuals of various nationalities, including 17 Indians, listed under different sections. It was separate from the 10 people, including two Indians, who were named and ordered to be arrested on Saturday.
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In a statement, the UAE’s attorney-general, Dr Hamad Saif Al Shams, said the move follows rigorous monitoring of digital platforms to combat the spread of fabricated information and artificial content intended to incite public disorder and undermine general stability.
“Investigations and electronic monitoring revealed that the defendants were divided into three groups that committed various acts. These included the publication of real clips related to current events, the fabrication of clips using AI, and the promotion of a state practising acts of military aggression while glorifying its leadership and military actions,” it said, according to the UAE’s official news agency, Wam.
The first group of 10 accused — comprising five Indians, one Pakistani, one Nepali, two Filipinos, and one Egyptian — published and circulated authentic video clips documenting the passage and interception of missiles in the country’s airspace or the resulting impact. They also filmed gatherings of individuals monitoring these events, appending commentary and sound effects suggesting active aggressions to incite public anxiety and panic.
“Such footage risked exposing defensive capabilities and allowing hostile accounts to promote misleading narratives,” the statement said.
The second group — comprising seven individuals, including five Indians and one each from Nepal and Bangladesh — published fabricated visual content created using AI or recirculated footage of incidents outside the country, falsely claiming they occurred within the UAE. These clips contained synthetic scenes of explosions and missiles, often featuring national flags or specific dates to grant credibility to false claims and mislead the public, it said.
The third group of six — five Indians and one Pakistani — accused the published content of “glorifying a hostile state (Iran) and its political and military leadership, promoting its regional military aggressions as achievements”, the statement said.
“This involved praising leaders of that state and recirculating propaganda that serves hostile media discourse and harms national interests,” it added.
Two other individuals, both Indians, also face charges for similar offences.
On Saturday, a Wam report stated that the public prosecution had commenced after interrogating the 10 defendants and ordered their remand in custody. Attorney-General Al Shams said these individuals circulated fabricated AI-generated footage falsely suggesting explosions, strikes on prominent landmarks, or large fires with rising smoke across various areas of the UAE.
In the UAE, such acts constitute crimes punishable under the law by imprisonment for at least 1 year and a fine of at least AED 1,00,000.
“Such events have been exploited to disseminate misinformation intended to deliberately mislead the public while undermining national security, order and stability,” he said.
“The incidents also involved exploiting children’s emotions in videos falsely implying security threats. Other footage claimed the destruction of military facilities within the country or attributed foreign incidents to UAE locations, aiming to mislead public opinion and spread anxiety,” Shamsi added.