A 60-year-old British man has been charged under cyber-crime laws in Dubai after allegedly filming Iranian missiles over the city.

UK Foreign Office officials are understood to be supporting his family.

The tourist was detained under a law in the United Arab Emirates that prohibits publishing or sharing material that could disturb public security, according to Detained in Dubai, which provides legal assistance in the country.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s minister of state to the EU, told the BBC she was “aware” there had been “some violations” of the law but did not have specific details about the British man’s detention.

She said “due process” would be followed, and that “this kind of filming puts yourself in harm’s way”.

The CEO of Detained in Dubai, Radha Stirling, said 21 people had been “charged together under the UAE’s cybercrime laws in connection with videos and social media posts relating to the recent missile strikes”.

She said police found a video of an Iranian missile strike in Dubai on the British man’s phone.

She told the BBC the formal charges were “very vague”.

“I’ve reviewed the charge sheet and, from reading it, you wouldn’t know what they’ve done wrong,” Stirling said.

“We’re seeing more and more people being charged under the UAE’s cyber-crime rules.”

She added that the man’s family had been able to speak to him after he was detained.

Stirling said she believed the UAE was cracking down on people filming missiles in order to “maintain the facade that it is safe for tourists”.

Criticism of the government is illegal in the UAE, and it exercises strict control over the flow information out of the country.