'Dubai is finished': Expats say they will leave and never come back as tax-free dream is shattered by war and officials begin prosecuting people for posting videos of missiles
'The shine has definitely been taken off,' John Trudinger, a British Dubai resident of 16 years, told The Guardian. Authorities in the UAE have charged 21 people with cyber crimes for circulating videos showing missiles and explosions. While Luisa Zissman shared a post mocking scared tourists who've escaped Dubai and are 'making out they've come back from the frontlines'. 'I'm far more scared of being fined or jailed for posting the wrong content than I am of the Iranian missiles and drones.' On Thursday morning a high-rise building in Dubai was pictured with a large hole after a drone strike.
Source: Daily Mail March 12, 2026 19:52 UTC
