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28 March 2024

'Al Reem Ghost' in custody in less than 48 hours

Published
By Wam

Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said that the security and police forces arrested the suspected 'Niqabi' woman for the brutal murder of the American teacher, IR (47 years).

Sheikh Saif affirmed that the Police had identified the suspect in less than 24 hours and arrested her in less than 48 hours.

He explained that after committing her first crime, the 'Niqabi' suspect went to another building located at the Abu Dhabi Corniche where she planted a primitive bomb on the doorstep of an Egyptian American doctor's house. The police forces were able to dismantle the bomb at the right time before it was detonated.

In the press conference held at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, Sheikh Saif expressed his deep sorrow to witness such crimes in a country that is characterised by security and safety. He affirmed the keenness and attention given by the country s leadership to this case, and noted that the leadership gave its orders to work day and night to bring the suspect to justice, for she had blatantly disregarded the security and stability of the people and targeted innocent civilians with her coward and criminal acts.

Sheikh Saif described the crime as "a slap to every noble human value that the UAE cherishes- all of which are derived from the teachings of Islam and the genuine Arab heritage." He stressed that the UAE vigorously defends such civilised values both on its own soil and outside of its borders.

Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: "We stand today before a crime that is alien to our secure country- a crime that has disregarded all human values and norms and targeted innocent people. The victim of this brutal crime was a school teacher who was committed to building strong future generations and was known for her dedication to work. The victim was not only a teacher- she was also a mother of three children."

He continued: "After committing the ruthless crime at Al Reem Island, the suspect moved to another location later that day to plant a primitive bomb in front of an Arab American doctor's home - a doctor who has dedicated his life to saving the lives of others. One of his sons discovered the bomb while he was heading to the mosque for the sunset prayer (Magrib). Security forces were able to dismantle the bomb at the right time before it was detonated."

He explained that the suspect targeted her victims based on nationality alone and had nothing to do with personal issues. She aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country, and terrorise people in the UAE. These intentions have put the government on the highest levels of alert.

According to him: "Your brothers at the Ministry of Interior and security forces have worked all night and day to reach this suspect and to identify her- despite all of her attempts to disguise herself. Later that night, a team of security forces headed to the suspect's location to arrest her. I would like to announce to you that she was arrested and is now in the custody of the police."

Sheikh Saif gravely warned anyone who even thinks to disrupt the security or the stability enjoyed the people in the UAE. He pointed out that such ideas will be faced with the full force of the police and the community, which both form a force that no criminal is capable of confronting.

The press conference was attended by: Major General Mohammed Khalfan Matar Al Rumaithi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police; Major General Mohammed bin Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Director General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police; Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director General of the Headquarters Affairs at Abu Dhabi Police; Colonel Sheikh Mohammad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Director of Peripheral Regions Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police; Colonel Dr. Rashid Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department; Colonel Homaid Al Afrit, Head of the Weapons and Explosives Department at the Directorate General of the Security and Ports Affairs; Lt. Colonel Khaled Al Shamesi, Chief of Security Support Section at Abu Dhabi Police, alongside a large number of local and international media outlets, correspondents of newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels.

The Security Media Department displayed a video explaining the details of the crime which included images taken from CCTV. The video also highlighted the search and inspection procedures conducted by the police and security forces, which eventually led to the arrest of the suspect and solved the mystery behind the crime.

Colonel Dr. Rashid Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Abu Dhabi Police, said: "The police dismantled a primitive bomb that targeted the life of an Egyptian American doctor and his family - his wife and three children." Witnesses reported that on Tuesday night, an anonymous individual dressed in a 'Niqab' and gloves left the bomb at the doorsteps of the doctor s house at the Abu Dhabi Corniche and escaped.

Colonel Dr. Borshid added: "The doctor who was targeted with the bomb, MH (46 years), informed the security guard about the strange package in front of his door. The guard in turn informed the police who rushed to the spot and evacuated the site. They dismantled the bomb and identified its primitive components that included small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue, and nails to cause maximum injuries when detonated."

Colonel Dr. Borshid quoted the Muslim American doctor when he said one of his children was going to the mosque for the sunset prayer (Magrib) when he noticed this strange thing in front of the house. The doctor had said that a 'Niqabi' woman wearing gloves had come to the house a few days prior to make sure that he and his family were home. The woman later swiftly escaped before the doctor and his wife were able to identify her.

The security guard also said that he noticed an individual believed to be a woman dressed in a 'Niqab' and gloves came to the house minutes before the incident. She was dragging a black suitcase behind her, went up to the floor were the doctor lives, and later quickly left the building. The family called the guard to inspect the object that had been left by the woman, and the guard informed the police who came to the site and safely dealt with the situation.

"The two incidents involving the murder at Al Reem Island and the corniche bomb alerted the police who were furious regarding the two consecutive incidents. The police believed there was a link between the two crimes due to the matching descriptions of the suspects involved in the two incidents, in addition to the testimonies of the witnesses who gave the same general descriptions," Colonel Dr. Borshid said.

The collective efforts of all parties who responded to the directions of the higher leadership, finally lead to the arrest of the suspect who confessed to committing the crimes.