Texas man said fined, deported from UAE for taking photos at airport
Joseph Lee's son says his father photographed security officials at Abu Dhabi International who had been rude
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A state-aligned newspaper in the United Arab Emirates said a Texas man arrested for taking photographs of security at the Abu Dhabi International Airport has been fined and will be deported.
The National, an English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, reported on Monday that 59-year-old Joseph Lee must pay a 10,000-dirham ($2,700) fine.
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi said it was aware of reports of Lee’s detention. Abu Dhabi’s Judicial Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Lee’s family told Fort Worth television station KXAS, on November 22, that Lee was arrested after being pulled aside by security officials, while transiting through Abu Dhabi after a vacation in Thailand.
His son, Jonathan, said his father took photos as security officials were “treating him kind of unfairly in a rude manner.”