Dubai: Amir Mekky, a Danish national, described as one of the most dangerous international gang leaders, has been arrested by Dubai’s State Security, an official said on Friday.
Mekky was arrested on June 4 after a secret intelligent operation in Dubai.
According to the official from Dubai’s State Security, Mekky had eluded security forces across Europe and was at large for years.
Amir Faten Mekky is the leader of one of the most notorious international crime rings involved in murder, drug trafficking and money laundering, the official said in a statement.
Mekky, was on the Interpol list and was wanted for premediated murder. All efforts to arrest him had gone in vain when he was in Europe.
The official said according to intelligence inputs, Mekky had entered the UAE in 2018.
A video shared by Dubai Media Office showed that Mekky used different IDs to move around in the city until a person throwing garbage outside his residence in Dubai came under the radar.
After thorough security checks and investigation, the person was identified as Mekky.
Special forces from Dubai State Security then swung into action and arrested Mekky at his residence in the early hours of Thursday.
According to the official, Mekky is currently being interrogated and preparations are underway to hand him over to the relevant authorities.
“The sting operation happened under exceptional circumstances due to movement restrictions in Dubai and the precautionary measures to curb COVID-19,” the official said.
“We formed a legal team in cooperation with Dubai Public Prosecution and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to issue the arrest warrant and hand him over to the concerned authorities,” the official said,
The official pointed out that the high-profile arrest of Mekky sends a clear message that Dubai will not tolerate international criminal activities even if the crimes have not been committed in the UAE.
"The operation also emphasised the UAE’s commitment to fulfill its responsibilities towards combating transnational crime," he said.
In January, international newspapers said Mekky, 22, was on the run after escaping a raid by 120 Spanish police on his hideout in November 2018.
Police chief Marcos de Miguel, of the Costa del Sol’s organised crime unit, described Mekky as “very dangerous” after issuing a warrant for his arrest.
