More than 300 people arrested in Middle Eastern country for publishing images and 'misinformation' during Iran attacks
Qatari authorities have arrested more than 300 people accused of publishing images and information deemed misleading during Iran's attacks on the Gulf state, Qatar's Interior Ministry said on Monday.
Qatari authorities have arrested more than 300 people. PHOTO: Shutterstock
According to an official statement, 313 people were detained because “filmed and broadcast video sequences and published misleading information and rumours” related to the attacks in the region, according to Agence France-Presse, quoted by media from the East.
The suspects were identified and detained by the service to fight economic and cyber crime within the Ministry of the Interior.
The arrests in Qatar come in the context of similar measures adopted in other Persian Gulf states, as Iran targets airports, military bases, energy facilities and residential areas in the region with drones and missiles almost daily.
In Bahrain, four people were arrested for “filming and broadcasting video sequences about the effects of Iranian attacks and for spreading fake news”, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday.
Also in Kuwait, the authorities announced on Saturday the arrest of three people after the publication of a video in which they mocked the situation in the country.
Warnings in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
In the United Arab Emirates, residents received text messages warning them they risked prosecution if they shared sensitive images or information deemed unreliable.
The UAE Attorney General's Office also warned the public to avoid “filming, publishing or broadcasting images and videos documenting incident sites or damage caused by falling projectiles or their remains”, according to the Emirates News Agency.
However, images of missiles, drones and the effects of war continue to circulate on social media and online discussion groups, despite the restrictions imposed by the authorities.
We remind you that the wave of attacks launched by Iran on the Gulf states intensified on Monday morning, when drones and missiles targeted several countries in the region. In Bahrain, 32 civilians were injured, including children, and loud explosions rocked the city of Doha.
