Ahmed Mansour’s wife and a colleague say he was detained Friday at his Dubai home. Mansour said Thursday that he’s been getting threats for signing a petition calling for an elected Parliament.  Mansour’s wife, Nadia, says 10 policemen searched their home, seized two laptops and took him into custody.

Another political activist, Mohammed Al-Mansouri, also reported the arrest.

Police and government officials could not be reached for comment.

The UAE does not allow direct elections or political parties. Only about two percent of the population will be nominated to vote or participate in the FNC election later this year. Mansour and around 300 petitioners had demanded broader representation.

Mansour is a member of the online political forum, UAE Hewar, which is blocked in the country. He said he has received six death threats on Facebook and vulgar messages on Twitter and other websites.

“Some of them said they will kill me, they will chop off my head ... If they think they’re showing nationalism, to the contrary, they’re showing how unpatriotic and savage they are.”

“Political reform activists are gaining more support, even in the Gulf ... They (the government) want to stop any kind of request for political reform,” Mansour said. Mansour said his employer, a telecommunications company, had pressured him to transfer to a position in Pakistan, a move he also thought was motivated by his political activities.

“If they think I’m going to back off, they’re mistaken. As long as I have the ability, I will continue my efforts,” he said.

Analysts say the most likely places for unrest to appear in the UAE would be its less-developed northern emirates whose citizens have benefited least from the vast oil wealth in the capital Abu Dhabi.