PTSD-suffering Israeli under arrest in Abu Dhabi for clashing with local police
Nachman Gabai, 21, involved in verbal altercation with officers during stopover on flight to India; remand extended till next week; Foreign Ministry says aware of situation
An Israeli man is under arrest in Abu Dhabi for clashing with local police, and is set to remain in custody for at least another week.
Nachman Gabai, 21, was arrested Monday at Abu Dhabi airport during an eight-hour stopover as he made his way from Tel Aviv to India.
He is suspected of disturbing the peace and offending a public servant, Maariv reported Wednesday.
Gabai, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, left the terminal building and was standing with another Israeli when a police patrol car came by and asked the pair to identify themselves, according to the report.
Gabai apparently became agitated at the situation and spoke harshly, raising officers’ suspicions and leading them to ask him to undergo a search at the airport station. There, he was strip-searched and his belongings were examined. Though nothing was found in the searches, Gabai became even more agitated at the circumstances, and eventually, officers placed him under arrest.
On Wednesday a court extended his remand by seven days, Maariv reported. His family is working to find a local attorney to represent him at the hearing next week.
“He reacts badly to stressful situations due to post-traumatic stress, and he probably reacted in a very unpleasant way, but that was his only sin,” Gabai’s mother Ronit told Maariv. “The guy who was next to him said that he really panicked, but they interpreted it as if he had something to hide while he was afraid that they were going to do things to him. It’s a misunderstanding that got more and more complicated and I hope it will be resolved soon.”
The Foreign Ministry said it is aware of the case and was dealing with it through its department for Israelis abroad and the consulate in Abu Dhabi.
Israel normalized ties with the UAE under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords in 2020. Since then it has become a popular tourist destination for Israelis while also serving as a gateway to the east.
