Man held in UAE for posting comedy video pretending to buy luxury cars dressed as an Emirati

A man was held in the United Arab Emirates for posting a comedy video on the internet that showed him dressed as an Emirati, pretending to buy luxury cars with bundles of cash, as per official media reports.

The state WAM news agency on Sunday said that the accused, who is a UAE resident, was condemned for publishing "propaganda that stirs up the public opinion and harms the public interest" on the internet.

The Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes had ordered his detention and pending probes. He was also charged with posting content that "insults the Emirati society".

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As per WAM reports, the accused, who hails fromAsia, was filmed in traditional Emirati robes as he entered a luxury car showroom with two assistants carrying a large tray of cash.

He then speaks in English with a Gulf Arab accent and asks for the highest-priced car. Further rejecting the car he says that 2.2 million dirhams (nearly $600,000), it's not expensive enough.

"I need expensive, brother," he says, tossing wads of cash to the store assistants to buy coffee, and ordering four costly cars including a Rolls-Royce.

"The video reveals impudence and lack of appreciation of the value of money, in a manner that promotes a wrong and offensive mental image of Emirati citizens and ridicules them", the WAM report said.

The Public Prosecution Office also summoned the car showroom's owner, and urged social media users to "consider societal characteristics and embedded values of the UAE society... so as to avoid falling under the force of the law".

The United Arab Emirates' laws against spreading false information and rumours keep a tight check on internet activities in the country.

Woman sentenced for posting video with Kuwaiti author

Earlier, in the month of June, a woman was sentenced to six months in prison after she shared a video on social media of an exchange at a UAE book fair with a Kuwaiti author who had been imprisoned in the United States over sex offences.

As per WAM reports, the woman was also fined a total of 60,000 AED ($16,000) for invasion of privacy and insults, and had her Twitter account "permanently closed".

Last year, in the month of January, the Public Prosecution summoned several people for sharing social media footage of a Yemeni rebel attack on Abu Dhabi.

(With inputs from agencies)

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