The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it had dismantled a terrorist organization operating within the country, arresting its members on suspicion of plotting acts aimed at undermining national unity and carrying out sabotage operations.

In a statement carried by state news agency WAM, the UAE State Security Department said investigations revealed the group had been preparing systematic terrorist activities on Emirati soil.

Authorities said the organization held covert meetings both inside the UAE and abroad and sought to recruit young Emiratis by promoting misleading narratives to secure support for foreign allegiances. The group was also accused of inciting opposition to the country’s foreign policy and domestic measures by portraying the UAE in a negative light.

According to the statement, the network raised funds through unofficial channels and transferred them to suspicious entities outside the country. Members face charges including establishing and managing a clandestine organization, pledging loyalty to external actors, and undermining national unity and social stability.

Investigators said the group carried out recruitment efforts through secret meetings as part of a coordinated plan with foreign parties, including attempts to reach sensitive locations.

The department added that the organization maintained links to Iran’s system of “Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist,” a religious-political doctrine that grants clerical authorities control over the state.

UAE authorities said they have dismantled a terrorist cell, accusing it of planning sabotage operations and holding secret meetings inside the country. pic.twitter.com/V29SivBYY7

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The announcement follows a similar operation last month, when the UAE said it had dismantled another “terrorist network” allegedly funded and directed by Hezbollah and Iran. Authorities said that network had operated under a commercial front, attempting to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes targeting the country’s financial stability.

According to WAM, the earlier network functioned under a pre-arranged strategic plan coordinated with foreign actors linked to Hezbollah and Iran, in violation of economic and legal regulations, with the aim of laundering money, financing terrorism, and threatening national security.