'Militant cell linked to Al Qaeda'

A suspected militant cell detained in the UAE had links to Al Qaeda, said Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police.

Dhahi Khalfan also said the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran were among the main security threats to Gulf Arab states because they wanted to export revolution to the region. “They are adherents of Al Qaeda and its misguided doctrine,” Khalfan said in an interview with Saudi-owned Asharq Al Awsat newspaper published on Wednesday.

“Some of the (cell) members are affiliated with Al Qaeda in Yemen,” said Khalfan, referring to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The group planned bomb attacks against targets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other states in the region rather than targeting individuals for assassination, he added.

The Dubai police chief said he was concerned that AQAP members were making their way to the Gulf but said Saudi anti-terrorism efforts had reduced Al Qaeda’s threat to the Gulf.