A gym executive has expressed a strong desire to return to Dubai from the UK, claiming the emirate feels safer than London despite ongoing Iranian missile strikes. Rory McEntee, 43, who lived in London for 17 years before moving to Dubai with his family last year, was in Britain when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, triggering retaliatory strikes on Gulf states.
Mr McEntee, Chief Marketing Officer at GymNation, was unable to board his return flight on March 1 after airspace closures across the Middle East. He said he was trying 'desperately' to get the first flight back, and set up a GoFundMe page that raised £660 to buy another ticket.
He told the Daily Mail that Dubai is 'safer than London', citing two phone muggings he witnessed in broad daylight during his UK visit. He also mentioned a female friend who asked him to walk her home from a London Underground station because she felt unsafe, and described men in balaclavas on e-bikes as 'no way to live'.
Despite 'scaremongering' in some media, Mr McEntee said he would feel safer in Dubai than in London. He criticised the UK government for providing no assistance, which he found 'strange' after paying taxes for 17 years.
Since March 3, over 7,000 Britons have returned from the UAE, with the government flying out those wishing to leave. The conflict has killed at least four people and injured over 100 in the Emirates, with missile alerts continuing almost three weeks into the war.
