Innocent Brits visiting Dubai ‘at significant risk’ of being extradited to Russia | World | News
File image of Dubai, UAE (Image: Getty)
Brits have been warned they are “at significant risk” of being extradited to other nations, especially Russia, when visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It comes after a man accused of attempting to assassinate one of Vladimir Putin’s top military intelligence chiefs was arrested in Dubai and handed over to Russia.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said Mr Putin thanked UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his help in detaining Lyubomir Korba, 65. The incident has reportedly raised concerns for Britons who fear they could be targeted by the Kremlin due to their support for Ukraine amid the ongoing full-scale war which is approaching its fourth anniversary. The head of an activist group said she has seen “numerous cases” where targets have been deported “to countries that the UK would certainly have opposed”.
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File image of Dubai’s skyline (Image: Getty)
Radha Stirling, CEO and founder of Detained in Dubai, told The Sun: “This leaves British citizens and foreign nationals at significant risk when they travel to the UAE.
“They may believe they are safe, but the UAE can easily deport them to a third country without due process and without consulting with the UK.”
Korba was detained in Dubai and handed over to Russian authorities last Sunday, the Kremlin’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed.
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The FSB alleges Korba, a Russian citizen, attempted to assassinate Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence.
Lt Gen Alexeyev was reportedly hospitalised after being shot several times last Friday at an apartment block in north-west Moscow.
It is thought he underwent immediate surgery and was in a stable condition.
Lt Gen Alexeyev has served as the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, since 2011.
He is alleged to have helped organise the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury.
Some analysts are concerned the deportation of Korba was a political gift to the Russian President ahead of further talks in the UAE on ending the Ukraine war.
The incident has ignited concerns of Dubai possibly operating an extra-judicial fast track and the bypassing of courts.
Legal experts have suggested that if this is the case, then anyone who has raised money for Ukraine or worked in journalism, government or defence could be vulnerable if in the UAE, The Sun reports.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the shooting of Lt Gen Alexeyev.
Footage released by the FSB showed Korba, in handcuffs, being taken off a jet at a Moscow airport before being put into a van.
Russian authorities say Korba has confessed to attempting to kill Lt Gen Alexeyev, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
