ABU DHABI // A former American serviceman is being detained in Dubai after a handgun was found in his luggage as he passed through Dubai International Airport.
The Public Prosecution in Dubai confirmed yesterday that Michael Joslin, 28, of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was detained on charges of possessing a firearm.
Joslin was arrested on May 9 during a day-long stopover at the Dubai airport. He was reportedly headed to Kabul, where he was scheduled to begin work for EMW, a private security firm.
He said the weapon was approved both by Philadelphia International Airport and Emirates Airline before he boarded the flight.
Stephen Pike, a spokesman for the US Embassy, confirmed Joslin had been arrested and detained, but could not provide details of the charges.
"We are aware of the case and we are in contact with him. He has had routine consular visits," Mr Pike said, adding that consular representatives had visited him on Sunday. "We will continue to provide him with consular services as needed."
Dubai Police also confirmed Joslin had been arrested, and that his case had been referred to the Public Prosecution. The Public Prosecution said investigations were continuing.
No date for his first court appearance has been made public, but it is thought to be in the coming weeks.
EMW terminated Joslin's contract days after his arrest.
"EMW was not knowledgable about his actions and is in no way responsible for Mr Joslin's decision to transport a firearm and prescription to Dubai and Afghanistan, which violated EMW's stated company policies," it said in a statement.
"The contract on which Mr Joslin was scheduled to work in Afghanistan on behalf of EMW itself strictly prohibits contractor personnel from carrying firearms in theatre."
His family, meanwhile, is appealing for his release.
"He's ready to break," Joanne Joslin, his wife, told The Delaware County Daily Times. "He's not really doing all right."
The couple have a two-and-a-half-month-old child, while Mr Joslin also is a stepfather to his wife's two children.
Joslin, who enlisted in the US air force after the September 11 attacks, told the Daily Times he was not aware of the restrictions on carrying firearms in his contract.
"I didn't read my contract very thoroughly," Mr Joslin said.
He was released on bail after nine days - at which time he surrendered his passport - but detained again after a urine test found banned prescription drugs in his system, according to the Daily Times.
He said he was taking pain medication for a back injury suffered in a recent car accident.
The US State Department warns travellers of the UAE's drug laws.
"Some drugs normally taken under a doctor's supervision in the United States, and even some over-the-counter US drugs and medications, are classified as narcotics in the UAE and are illegal to possess," it says on its website.
It also warns UAE authorities will confiscate any weapons transported through a civilian airport. "Americans have been arrested and jailed for transporting such weapons and equipment without the express written authorisation of the UAE Government, even though airline and US authorities allowed shipment on a US-originating flight," it says.
In the US it is legal to carry firearms and ammunition in hold luggage, as long as the weapons are properly packed and declared to the airline during check-in.
Emirates Airline's guidelines, published on its website, state that dangerous goods require airline approval. Firearms must be transported in a locked, hard-sided container. However, a different part of the website warns: "For transfer and transit passengers who are connecting to onward flights, prior clearance to travel with firearms and ammunition must be obtained from the Dubai Airport Police Department and the Department of Civil Aviation."
lmorris@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Salam Hafez
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Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
INFO
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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Director: Jared Hess
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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- loss of confidence and appetite
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Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Disability on screen
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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
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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
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Centre Court
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
