Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - United Arab Emirates

Overview:  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) advanced its counterterrorism (CT) efforts in 2023, particularly in international cooperation and countering terrorist financing.  The UAE added one individual and five entities to its list of persons and organizations supporting terrorism, for their role in supporting the Houthis in Yemen.  On December 7, public prosecutors referred 84 defendants to the Abu Dhabi Federal State Security Court of Appeal on charges of establishing a clandestine organization to commit acts of violence and terrorism.  The prosecutor claimed most of the defendants were members of the Muslim Brotherhood and that they concealed their crimes before their arrest and trial on separate charges in 2013.  International human rights organizations reported that the defendants, some of whom are considered political dissidents, had already been tried and sentenced on charges of establishing and funding a terrorist organization.  The UAE updated its anti-discrimination law and introduced a section on what it considers extremism.  The country participated in and hosted international fora to promote tolerance and coexistence, in part through supporting countering violent extremism (CVE) education.  The UAE continued its CT efforts against al-Shabaab (in Somalia) and against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (in Yemen), including providing operational support to local forces.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  There were no terrorist incidents in 2023.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  Federal Law No. 34 on Combating Discrimination, Hatred, and Extremism stipulates that individuals charged with crimes related to insulting religions, discrimination, or hatred be referred to deradicalization (or Munasaha) centers.  A 2019 Federal Decree established these centers to rehabilitate and reeducate individuals deemed as terrorists or as harboring “extremist tendencies.”  These centers submit progress reports to public prosecutors every three months, who then recommend to the courts whether to release offenders or extend their detention.  The law also states a court may order travel bans, surveillance, or movement restrictions on such individuals.  Article 20 of this law allows the UAE Cabinet (the prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, ministers, and a general secretariat) to issue “extremist lists” of individuals or entities.  The law stipulates that Abu Dhabi-based federal courts examine extremism and designation appeals.

The State Security Directorate in Abu Dhabi and Dubai State Security retained responsibility for CT law enforcement.  Emirate-level police forces served as first responders and provided technical assistance to their respective security services.  The UAE security apparatus carried out investigations, crisis response, and border security functions.  Security forces were trained and equipped to detect, deter, and respond to transnational crime and terrorist incidents.

The UAE continued working closely with the United States, through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to improve its border security posture.  Information sharing between the Abu Dhabi Police’s Criminal Investigations Division and DHS Homeland Security Investigations helped counter transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups.

In February the World Customs Organization recognized DHS Homeland Security Investigations and the UAE police and security partners for their collaboration to disrupt an Iranian UAV procurement network.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  The UAE is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force, and its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is a member of the Egmont Group.  The UAE is also a member of the regional Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC).

In October, FATF made an initial determination that the UAE had substantially completed its action plan and warranted an onsite assessment to verify that the implementation of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) reforms had begun and was being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remained in place to sustain implementation in the future.  FATF reported that the UAE took steps toward improving its AML/CFT regime, including by 1) increasing outbound mutual legal assistance requests to facilitate money laundering/terrorism financing (ML/TF) investigations; 2) improving its understanding of ML/TF risks and implementation of risk-based customer due diligence for designated nonfinancial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) sectors; 3) applying effective and proportionate sanctions for AML/CFT noncompliance involving financial institutions and DNFBPs, and increasing suspicious transaction report filing for those sectors; 4) developing a more granular understanding of risk of abuse of legal persons and implementing risk-based mitigating measures to prevent their abuse; 5) providing additional resources to the FIU to increase its capacity to provide financial intelligence to law enforcement agencies and making greater use of financial intelligence, including from foreign counterparts, to pursue high-risk ML threats; 6) increasing investigations and prosecution of ML in line with the country’s risk profile; and 7) ensuring effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions by sanctioning noncompliance among reporting entities and demonstrating a better understanding of UN sanctions evasion among the private sector.

In February the UAE added Hizballah-affiliated Hassan Moukalled, his sons, and an entity he owns to its national sanctions list.  In September and December, the Executive Office for Control and Nonproliferation issued updated guidance on terrorist and proliferation financing red flags and risk assessment guidance for financial institutions, virtual assets service providers, and DNFBPs.

Also in 2023, the TFTC sponsored eight executive committee meetings and capacity building workshops.  The executive committee meetings are responsible for approving jointly coordinated sanctions among the TFTC members.  Capacity building workshops throughout the year focused on virtual asset regulations; leveraging public-private partnerships to strengthen AML/CFT regimes; a presentation by UN 1267 Monitoring Team to highlight the means that ISIS-Somalia and al-Shabaab use to finance their malign activities across the continent; and a two-day, DOJ-led symposium on terrorist financing prosecutions.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The UAE government led global efforts to counter terrorist radicalization and recruitment.  The country continued to support Hedayah, an international center of excellence for CVE based in Abu Dhabi.  Hedayah carried out international CVE programs and research projects, including a U.S. Department of State-supported countermessaging effort for religious and community leaders in Tunisia.  The UAE also hosted the Sawab Center to counter ISIS messaging and online propaganda by ISIS and ISIS-affiliated organizations.  In June the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments launched the “National Program for Religious Moderation,” which aimed to promote tolerant values of Islam and spread moderation, tolerance, and respect of foreign culture by designing curricula for imams and preachers, among others.

International and Regional Cooperation:  The UAE led or was actively engaged in a range of CT cooperation efforts within international, multilateral, and regional organizations and groupings that align with U.S. and like-minded policies.  The UAE is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and a co-chair of the Stabilization Working Group and the Communications Working Group.

Relevant UAE engagements included the following:

• In January a delegation from the Federal National Council attended the third Counterterrorism Coordination Meeting in Doha, organized by the UN Office of Counterterrorism’s Program Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, in cooperation with the Qatari Shura Council.
• In February, the World Customs Organization recognized the DHS Office of Homeland Security Investigations and UAE police and security partners for their collaboration to disrupt an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles procurement network.

• In June, during the UAE’s UN Security Council presidency, the UAE introduced UNSC resolution 2686 urging the international community to condemn, address, and prevent acts of “extremism” that negatively affect international peace and security.  In December, during the UAE’s presidency of the UN Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee, the committee adopted the Abu Dhabi Guiding Principles to address challenges posed by unmanned aircraft systems.
• In October the UAE hosted the Defeat-ISIS Coalition Communications Working Group.