Dahi Khalfan, Dubai’s chief of police and one of the most outspoken security officials in the United Arab Emirates. He warns “There’s an international plot against Gulf States in particular and Arab countries in general…This is preplanned to take over our fortunes. The region needs to be prepared to counter any threat from Islamist dissidents as well as Syria and Iran.”

Khalfan insists “The bigger our sovereign wealth funds and the more money we put in the banks of Western countries, the bigger the plot to take over our countries.”

Most of the suspected detainees are Islamists, targeted by an official clampdown amid concern they may be emboldened by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in other Arab countries such as Egypt. Interior Ministry officials in the United Arab Emirates have not been available to comment on the arrests. However last week, UAE officials announced that law enforcement is investigating a foreign-linked group planning “crimes against the security of the state”.

“I had no idea that there is this large number of Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf States. We have to be alert and on guard because the wider these groups become, the higher probability there is for trouble.” Khalfan also stated, “We are aware that there are groups plotting to overthrow Gulf governments in the long term.