Armed Americans on private plane heading for Afghanistan arrested in UAE

No fewer than seven armed United States civilians attempting to make their way to Afghanistan via the United Arab Emirates were arrested on August 31, a State Department cable reviewed by Newsweek said.

The group of U.S. nationals was detained last Tuesday and later released on bail by local police at Dubai International Airport after having “arrived on a private plane carrying firearms,” the cable said.

“The passengers reportedly planned to assist Afghanistan evacuation efforts but had no approved onward travels plans,” the cable read, adding that the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai was “engaging with authorities on the issue.”

August 31, the last U.S. military plane departed Afghanistan, marking the end to a 20-year-old war effort and a chaotic evacuation that involved both U.S. officials and private groups airlifting tens of thousands of people, mostly Afghan personnel who worked with the U.S. government throughout the conflict.