Dubai police snooped on a private WhatsApp group to snare an airline worker who shared images of a building damaged in the Middle East crisis.

Authorities accessed a closed chat between colleagues, downloaded evidence and then lured the man to a meeting and arrested him.

He is in custody facing charges including publishing information deemed harmful to state interests which carries a maximum sentence of two years.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘Dubai Police have now explicitly confirmed they are conducting electronic surveillance operations capable of detecting private WhatsApp messages.

‘Individuals are being tracked, identified, and arrested not for public statements, but for private exchanges between colleagues.

‘Companies like WhatsApp must answer urgent questions about user privacy.

‘If private communications can be detected and used as the basis for arrest by overreaching or hypersensitive states, users worldwide need clarity on how their data is being accessed.’

According to the police report, authorities stated the clip was detected ‘through electronic monitoring operations’. 

Dubai police snooped on a private WhatsApp group to snare an airline worker who shared images of a building damaged in the Middle East crisis (Dubai International Airport pictured)

The material showed smoke rising from a building following the March 2026 Iran-related incidents and had only been shared only within a closed WhatsApp group of airline colleagues.

A specialised team from the Electronic and Cybercrime Department was then formed to identify the account holder.

He was subsequently located, lured to a meeting point and arrested by police.

He remains in detention after the case was escalated to State Security Prosecution.

The UAE government has the majority holdings in telecom operators Etisalat and Du, meaning security services can monitor all communications on their networks.

It has also historically used the Israeli-developed Pegasus spyware, which allows agents to tap private phones – even if they are messaging on encrypted apps like WhatsApp.

They have deployed it most notably against a number of Western politicians and journalists.

The software can infect a device without the user even clicking on any link. For instance, a target can be compromised via a simple WhatsApp voice call – even if the call is not answered.

Once compromised, it can access all WhatsApp call logs, messages and contacts.

Security experts recommend regularly rebooting your phone, frequently updating the software and even using Lockdown Mode to reduce vulnerability.

Ms Sterling said she has received other reports involving tourists, residents, and airline crew detained for sending, receiving, or retaining content, even where there was no public dissemination.

The use of surveillance technology to monitor private messaging platforms raises serious questions about privacy, proportionality, and the scope of the UAE’s cybercrime laws.