Under UAE legislation, a person can be detained urgently while an extradition request is awaited. The legislation provides for detention for up to 60 days in those circumstances and permits subsequent arrest or imprisonment following receipt of the extradition request.

According to Stirling, the most alarming development is the UAE’s willingness to extradite British nationals to third countries with significantly worse human-rights records, without examining evidence, assessing political motivation, or protecting against torture or coercion.