Three British plane spotters have been arrested in the UAE

[cHabu]

link=> Three British plane spotters have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over allegations of suspicious behaviour

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the arrest of three British nationals in Dubai on 22 February.

@bbc.com

[Stratofreighter]

Aw sh!t, not Fujairah again...

Hope they can get home soon!

[Custard Gannet]

Unfortunately it's a occupational hazard !!

CG

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Stratofreighter]

I personally don't think a visit to an airport is worth a sojourn in jail, certainly not one lasting several days...

See
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ds-8754556

This detention can hardly be benificial to his heart condition.

It seems Fujairah is now really out of bounds. Just not worth the risk.

[Felix2112]

I can only warn to follow our hobby in any arabian country. I used to live in the UAE and worked at an airport over there, but also spent some time in other countries in the area (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar).
Rest assured that there is absolutely no understanding for spotting over there, doesn´t matter if you are doing civil or military.
I saw so many aircraft and helicopters on the aprons but I never even considered to think about touching my camera!!
There is a lot of security and (hidden) camera surveillance that there is hardly any chance to just stay outside the fence for some time without being checked.
Just a little hint: RAK airport is not very busy, so there are military training flights on a regular (daily) basis. You will see some Hawks, PC-21, C-17 and also the helicopter guys from the Army like to come to the cafeteria for lunch. This is a place where you can sit, having a big window to check the apron.
Nevertheless you should avoid bringing your camera! Watch and enjoy, that´s it!!!!!!!
NEVER FORGET THAT THEY CONSIDER EVERYTHING IN AVIATION AND ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO MILITARY AVIATION AS NON-PUBLIC!!!

[Le Addeur noir]

On a side note to this, some time back an American expat (not a spotter)working on the ramp at the old airport at Doha was seen by a security guard taking a photo with a smartphone and was duly reported.

The outcome?. Said expat was arrested and expelled from the country with immediate effect.

As said above by Felix, there is zero tolerance of photography in these countries.

There have been problems airside at Dubai with spotters as well coming to the attention of the police/security.

[Starman]

Not sure if I 100% agree with my old mate Stratofreighter, surely "aw shucks, not Brits again" would be better, but any serious spotter can usually find a way to pursure his hobby either with one of the many spotters tour groups who criss-cross the globe, or by checking open days etc in, um, Scramble.nl - you´d be surprised who has open days these days, and even if access is restricted and controlled, a simple e.mail can often be the difference between a full SD card and a dank prison cell. Even my homebase for example .......

[ehusmann]

The world is never black and white, so stating that a place is from now on a 'no-go' area is a little exaggerated if you ask me. Lets also not forget there is a difference between taking pictures and spotting. In many places where the sight of camera may land you in jail in no time, pure spotting often comes with little risk. I for one have spotted in many countries in the middle east and never had a problem. It is clear now that Fujairah is becoming more difficult and has a higher risk of getting arrested, but that doesn't mean it is off limits all together.

Erwin

[Flanker]

sad news http://news.yahoo.com/three-british-pla ... 44558.html

so apparently even when you're aware of the risks, and think you do right, they can still see it as you doing wrong

hope they will be home soon.

[Stratofreighter]

This happened late 2013, somewhere before the "three Dutchies":
http://www.dus-spotter.de/index.php/Thr ... -Fujairah/

Machine-translation into English:
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

[Felix2112]

The world is never black and white, so stating that a place is from now on a 'no-go' area is a little exaggerated if you ask me. Lets also not forget there is a difference between taking pictures and spotting. In many places where the sight of camera may land you in jail in no time, pure spotting often comes with little risk. I for one have spotted in many countries in the middle east and never had a problem. It is clear now that Fujairah is becoming more difficult and has a higher risk of getting arrested, but that doesn't mean it is off limits all together.

Erwin

I do already apologize if my words may sound a bit harsh, but the above mentioned statement sounds like an invitation à la ´go and try, it cannot be so bad´.
Taking into consideration that, according to the mentioned article, these guys were just writing numbers and not taking pictures, I have to disagree with Erwin to the strongest degree!! It is not only Fujairah, not only Dubai, it is the entire area! At some airports you are even requested to switch off your cell phone when entering the apron! The world is not black and white, but this situation is, it is simply a fact! And to ignore something that is considered `a national security issue´ is definitely a behaviour which is for sure not recommended by any embassy or consulate.

As mentioned before, use the opportunities at official open days or events and you are on the safe side!

[phkza]

I've been to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. In Qatar, no problems taking pictures in plain sight, only at the platform was I warned. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi: my goodness. Even in the streets I was warned not to take pictures, even of buses (I didn't even intend to, just had my camera with small lense around my neck...). In Abu Dhabi they even wanted to check my camera (fortunately I managed a very quick card-switch...).

We, as Westerners, may find the rules in the Middle East stupid (as we do some other principles, laws and thoughts), but the reality is that we still are at risk of going to jail.

Main advice: IF you go, prepare yourself well in advance, look for places out of sight and don't stay in one place too long. Workers from Pakistan, India, Nepal etc. who work in construction or landscaping in these countries might not call the police, but locals are a high risk. Not all of them, off course, but it only takes one call to the police...

[ehusmann]

I wasn't so much refering to you, as to Stratofreighter.
But in a way, yes, I did say 'make up your own mind'. I have been a few times to the UAE (and surrounding countries) and I do fully agree that as soon as military aircraft are involved things become a lot more tense and the utmost scrutiny is needed. However, it is still not impossible, just realize where you are, what you are doing and how the authorities may react. In many places I have been I went spotting in terminals and approaches without camera, sometimes without bins and only a sudoku book and a pencil. Scribbling some seemingly random numbers in a sudoku book is not exactly the first thing authorities are worried about. So even if people ask what you are doing, you can remain the ignorant tourist taking a break and just watching. Worst I ever had like that was the polite request to move on, which of course I would do then.

So no, it is still not black and white and I am not going to all of a sudden sh*t my paints just because somebody else does.

Erwin

[Felix2112]

So no, it is still not black and white and I am not going to all of a sudden sh*t my paints just because somebody else does.

Erwin

Sometimes the pants full of sh*t can be more comfortable than being arrested...nevertheless, I like the Sudoku idea
Apart from that, just being careful and deciding to avoid a risk does not mean to fill up your pants.
Those who don´t care are the ones that get in trouble and start to scream and beg for help and understanding.

I am sure you expect foreigners to stick to local rules and regulations as well, right?
Over there, they don´t like people doing it, they don´t tolerate it...so simply stick to the bl**dy rules.

[ehusmann]

I am sure you expect foreigners to stick to local rules and regulations as well, right?

And there we go again with the black and white. Yes, I want them to stick to some rules, but if a foreigner walks through a red traffic light here I couldn't give a damn. So which is it then? Black or white?

That reminds me very much of all the people here who called for staying away from Schiphol during the nuclear security summit because 'spotting was impossible' then.... yeah right.

I do agree however that sometimes the risks involved are great, sometimes too great to take. And Fujairah maybe like that to some, probably not to others. It depends on how you do it and I am just saying that I am not going to declare in absolute terms that I will never go there, just because somebody else ran into bad luck. That's all. If you want to, feel free. Just please, don't decide for me that I should follow your ideas as well.

Erwin