Tourist fined for ‘filming at airport security bay’

An American tourist who was caught filming with his mobile phone while going through security at Abu Dhabi International Airport was fined Dh10,000 and will be deported.

Joseph Lee, 59, was arrested last week and will be repatriated after paying his fine, officials said.

Mr Lee’s son Jonathan, who was travelling with his father, said Joseph was filming his mistreatment by airport officials.

“I believe he began recording because they were treating him unfairly, in a rude manner, and in Abu Dhabi that’s a pretty big criminal offence,” Jonathan said. “I believe that’s why he was detained.”

The two had stopped in Abu Dhabi for 11 hours on their way back from a holiday in Bangkok.

Jonathan told NBC they took a quick tour of the city before returning to the airport where they were separated because his father was chosen for secondary screening.

Jonathan said he received a phone call from his father moments later telling him he had been arrested. He said he expected his father to be freed soon, so he boarded a plane and went home.

Taking photographs or filming in public places is not prohibited in public places in the UAE unless explicitly stated.

But it is forbidden to film or photograph critical installations and strategic and military sites for security reasons. Taking photographs at airport security stations is prohibited across many countries.

Jonathan and his father had planned to spend Thanksgiving at his daughter’s home in Texas.