DUBAI– Dubai’s chief of police has warned of an “international plot” to overthrow the governments of Gulf Arab countries, saying the region needs to be prepared to counter any threat from dissidents as well as Syria and Iran.



The comments by Dahi Khalfan, one of the most outspoken security officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), follow the detention in the UAE since April of at least 20 dissidents, according to relatives of the detainees and activists.



“There’s an international plot against Gulf states in particular and Arab countries in general...This is preplanned to take over our fortunes,” Khalfan told reporters at a gathering late Wednesday marking the month of Ramadan.



“The bigger our sovereign wealth funds and the more money we put in the banks of Western countries, the bigger the plot to take over our countries...The brothers and their governments in Damascus and North Africa have to know that the Gulf is a red line, not only for Iran but also for the Brothers (Muslim Brotherhood) as well.”



Last week, UAE officials announced that authorities were investigating a foreign-linked group planning “crimes against the security of the state”.



“I had no idea that there is this large number of Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf states. We have to be alert and on guard because the wider these groups become, the higher probability there is for trouble,” Khalfan said Wednesday.



“We are aware that there are groups plotting to overthrow Gulf governments in the long term.” – Agencies