DUBAI (Web Desk) — The United Arab Emirates authorities have released two young men detained over their “selfie” in front of a New Year’s Eve hotel fire.
The Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency reported the news late Friday, citing Essam al-Humaidan, the attorney general of the city-state of Dubai. He says the two unidentified men were released after investigators found “no evidence of criminal intent.”
The 63-story Address Downtown luxury hotel caught fire just before a fireworks display at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The hotel burned through the fireworks display and into the new year.
While liberal compared to much of the Middle East, the Emirates has a cybercrime law under which people can be arrested, imprisoned and deported for taking photographs without the consent of those shown.
