Police have been tightening their ties to Interpol and frequently use the global police organisation's public warrants as a tool to hunt international fugitives. The UAE has 188 outstanding "red notices" on Interpol's website — more than any other state in the region and the fifth highest number of any country in the world. In contrast, the UK has issued seven, Saudi Arabia one, Oman seven and Rwanda, which is searching for perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, has 77.
A red notice means Interpol will assist local officers in apprehending a suspect with a view to extradition. The UAE has the highest number of public warrants after the United States, which has 378, Belarus, 373, India, 334, and Albania, 267. Rachael Billington, a spokesman for Interpol, said the heavy use of public warrants reflected the UAE's confidence in the organisation. "The fact that the UAE has so many notices is an indication of their commitment to Interpol."
Further strengthening the relationship between the Emirates and Interpol is Mubarak al Khaili, the organisation's assistant director for the Middle East and North Africa, and a former Abu Dhabi police officer from Al Ain. At 30, he is the youngest assistant director at Interpol. Dubai Police have collaborated with Interpol on two major jewel thefts in the last year. One investigation led to police uncovering an international gang of thieves known as the Pink Panthers.
Mr Khaili says the other robbery exemplifies why the UAE, and all Arab nations, should build a strong relationship with Interpol. In March 2006, two masked thieves rode a motorcycle into jewellery shops at Wafi City and BurJuman malls, stealing jewellery worth Dh10 million (US$2.7 million) and escaping on a flight to Belgrade. Mr Khaili said the UAE had never witnessed a crime like it. Three weeks ago Interpol arranged to have Andrea Zevatovic, the alleged mastermind, extradited from Germany to face trial in Dubai. "Without Interpol, these guys would remain unidentified," Mr Khaili said.
With a large expatriate community and an abundance of wealth, the UAE has become a profitable target for international criminals, he said. This is underlined by the mass of "red notices" the country has issued, 160 of which are for fraud. "The majority of red notices are concerning financial crime. That means in the UAE, we don't have serious crime," Mr Khaili said. He said the public warrants have proved "very, very, very effective".
"We have had a lot of cases already of people being arrested and extradited." As well as issuing warrants, he said local police collaborated with Interpol to track down fugitives wanted by other nations. "The UAE doesn't want anybody wanted in other countries to stay in our country." Mr Khaili said access to international databases was the most valuable benefit of membership of Interpol. They contain everything from details on lost travel documents to DNA.
It is through DNA evidence provided by Dubai Police that Interpol was able to link a separate robbery at Wafi City mall in April 2007 to yet another international ring of thieves. The fugitives, also wanted by Liechtenstein, drove two stolen Audis into the mall, threatened staff with fake guns and escaped with Dh14 million in jewellery. One of the culprits was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Dubai court on June 8. The other suspects are among the 188 fugitives wanted by the UAE on Interpol's website.
Fifty-seven of the warrants are for Indians, 19 are for Pakistanis and 15 for Egyptians. Four women are among the wanted. Only one Emirati is on the public list: Jabelas Keeshor Burjraj, 44, who was born in India but is now wanted for fraud by the UAE. Two of the men on the list have been recently in the news. Santosh Madhavan, an Indian astrologer and guru wanted by police for defrauding a Dubai woman out of Dh400,000, was arrested on May 13. Although Madhavan was the subject of a red notice, Maj Gen Khamis Mattar al Mazeina, the deputy commandant general of Dubai Police, said the emirate would not move to extradite him as he was an Indian wanted for crimes there.
"But we will be seeking compensation and damages for the time and money we have put into capturing this man, as well as compensation for the victim," he said. Emad Ayoub, a former Dubai property developer accused of fleeing the country after taking Dh36m of investor's money, is also on the list. He is believed to be living in Northamptonshire, UK, and could be the first person formally extradited to the UAE from Britain if arrested.
@Email:jmather@thenational.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKim%20Seung-gyu%2C%20Jo%20Hyeon-woo%2C%20Song%20Bum-keun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDefenders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKim%20Young-gwon%2C%20Kim%20Min-jae%2C%20Jung%20Seung-hyun%2C%20Kim%20Ju-sung%2C%20Kim%20Ji-soo%2C%20Seol%20Young-woo%2C%20Kim%20Tae-hwan%2C%20Lee%20Ki-je%2C%20Kim%20Jin-su%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMidfielders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPark%20Yong-woo%2C%20Hwang%20In-beom%2C%20Hong%20Hyun-seok%2C%20Lee%20Soon-min%2C%20Lee%20Jae-sung%2C%20Lee%20Kang-in%2C%20Son%20Heung-min%20(captain)%2C%20Jeong%20Woo-yeong%2C%20Moon%20Seon-min%2C%20Park%20Jin-seob%2C%20Yang%20Hyun-jun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStrikers%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHwang%20Hee-chan%2C%20Cho%20Gue-sung%2C%20Oh%20Hyeon-gyu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20Mother%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Niki%20Caro%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jennifer%20Lopez%2C%20Joseph%20Fiennes%2C%20Gael%20Garcia%20Bernal%2C%20Omari%20Hardwick%20and%20Lucy%20Paez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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