Emirati cop in court for filming Messi’s passport

DUBAI: A police officer in the United Arab Emirates has appeared in court over filming himself holding Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s passport.
Abu Dhabi’s state-run The National newspaper reported on Tuesday that the police officer appeared in Dubai’s Court of Misdemeanors over the posting the video to the mobile phone app Snapchat in December.
The newspaper said the video included the caption: “Shall I burn the passport or just put it back!“
The police officer, identified as J.M., faces a charge of violating Messi’s privacy. He said he made the video in jest and had the permission of Messi’s bodyguard.
The forward was in Dubai to receive the Player of the Year award at the Globe Soccer Awards. Messi also is a global ambassador for the coming Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Separately, prosecutors in the country have filed an arrest warrant for two men who wore military uniforms and danced in an Internet video.
The state-run WAM news agency announced Tuesday that Abu Dhabi prosecutors had filed the warrant for the men.
It described the video as showing “two men donning military uniforms and making outrageous physical movements that did not respect the uniform, the morale and the value of national service.”