Prosecutors in the UAE are pursuing legal responsibility over a discredited news report that claimed explosions had been heard in central Dubai, with authorities making clear that a retraction and apology will not halt the case.
Attorney-General Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi confirmed that the reporter behind the account has already given a statement to the Public Prosecution. Beyond the journalist, everyone who took part in drafting, signing off on and releasing the item has been called in for questioning, he said. Investigators are weighing how each person contributed to the story’s release and whether the checks required before publishing were observed.
At the center of the scrutiny is whether those involved met the legal and professional benchmarks for verifying information before it reached the public. The prosecution is reviewing the steps taken during preparation and approval of the report to establish where accountability lies and what action the law may demand.
The report claimed that blasts had gone off in a busy part of Dubai, an assertion that proved untrue. Dubai Media Office rejected the account after it circulated, and Reuters, which The National identified as the agency behind the story, later pulled it. According to Reuters, the piece fell short of its editorial standards because it “could not immediately determine where the sounds were coming from or their significance, and did not offer that context.” The news agency issued an apology alongside the withdrawal.
Al Shamsi stressed that stepping back from the story does not close the matter. The decision to remove the report and apologize, he said, “does not preclude the continuation of the investigation to determine legal responsibility and take the actions required by law based on the outcome of the investigation.”
The false report surfaced on July 16, a period of heightened regional tension, with The National reporting the same day that the claimed blasts were placed in Dubai’s Business Bay district before the account was dismissed by authorities.
