A United Arab Emirates state news agency reports that a member of the royal family has been detained on suspicion of torturing a man.
WAM said Monday the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department ordered the detention of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan while prosecutors carry out an investigation.
Sheikh Issa is a brother of the UAE president and a son of the former president.
U.S.-based ABC news last month broadcast a video allegedly showing the sheikh torturing the man by lighting his testicles on fire and forcing an electric cattle prod into his anus.
In a statement to ABC, the UAE Interior Ministry acknowledged Sheikh Issa's involvement.
The 45-minute video was smuggled out of the country by Bassam Nabulsi, who now lives in the U.S. state of Texas and is a former business associate of the sheikh.
Nabulsi says his brother recorded the video, following the sheikh's orders. Nabulsi identified the victim as an Afghan grain dealer, Mohammed Shah Poor, whom the sheikh accused of cheating him in a business transaction.
Human Rights Watch had called on UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan to investigate and prosecute the case.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
