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Eight Britons Arrested in U.A.E. on "Spy" Charges
DUBAI, July 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Eight Britons, among 19, have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates in connection with illegal surveillance equipment, news agencies reported Sunday.
"There are eight Britons, seven men and one woman, among those detained on June 26," the British embassy in Dubai said, according to the French News Agency AFP.
The arrests focus on the use of unauthorized surveillance equipment, the embassy said, without elaborating.
London's Sunday Times reported that the eight Britons were "private eyes" arrested after accusations they conducted surveillance operations that had "enraged ruling clans."
"These investigators were engaged in espionage on individuals, including at least one businessman close to the ruling clans," the Sunday Times said.
The companies concerned specialize in collecting information of economic nature about other firms upon request of a client, Khaleej Times online reported.
Senior managers of at least two of these companies are among those being held, a British official said.
The Sunday Times named Michael Sixsmith, 58, former army intelligence major, and former Grenadier Guardsman, and Peter Lockhart-Smith, as directors of the Dubai-based Middle East Research Group.
Twelve other people, including five Britons, were arrested at SSS Corporate Research, the paper quoted Neil Tunstall, operations director of SSS's parent company, International Corporate research, as saying.
Earlier Saturday, Dubai Attorney-General, Ibrahim Bu Melha, confirmed yesterday evening that the British nationals were among 19 people in custody and that all of them were involved in the same case, Khaleej Times said.
Bu Melha said the case had been forwarded to the public prosecution, but declined to say anything about the nature of the case.
He added that the public prosecutor had begun investigations into the case. No charges had so far been filed against any of the 19.
BBC online reported that a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said the eight arrested Britons were understood to be "comfortable and well".
Consular staff will visit them Sunday, it added.
They have been allowed to contact their families and employers.
There are now fears that the exposure of the group could lead to a diplomatic row between the U.K. and the Emirates despite the traditionally good relationship between the two governments.
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