Amira Agarib and Marie Nammour / 3 September 2013
A woman who threatened to blow up the Dubai Public Prosecution headquarters actually used rolled-up cardboard to mimic an explosives belt.
The Uzbek woman, who was accompanied by her son, was arrested after more than 13 hours of negotiation which began at about 12pm on Sunday and ended at 1.30am on Monday. The Emirati man she claimed was her husband through a non-official “Urfi” marriage has also been arrested.
The overnight crisis ended peacefully on Monday morning though the woman was arrested, according to sources who participated in the negotiation led by UAE officials. A Public Prosecution official said work resumed as normal at 7.30am on Monday at the building.
Minister of Interior Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan followed up the crisis moment by moment and issued direct instructions to preserve the life of the woman and her child, and ensure safety of the negotiation team, whatever the cost or time that might take in negotiation to end the crisis. The source said the officials, led by a team of two negotiators and two members of the police early intervention team, dealt with the woman in a humane and civilised way.
The woman was arrested from behind so that she would not get a chance to use the remote or the button of the small device she was holding all the time. The device was connected to wires linked to the belt tied around her waist. The police succeeded in removing the belt and their suspicion that there were no explosives was confirmed when they realised that the belt was but a roll of cardboard set up to look like an explosives belt.
The source said that during the negotiation, the woman claimed that she was married, ‘in an unofficial marriage known as “Urfi”’ to a retired Emirati. She claimed that her ‘husband’ left her when she became pregnant and that he had taken the marriage papers with him and denied her and the child.
The woman had lodged a complaint at one of the courts but could not provide any official document to prove the marriage. When the man was summoned, he denied having any relationship with the woman. And since the woman was pregnant at that time, she was charged with adultery and was sentenced.
After she delivered her child, she lodged a compliant in a court in another emirate but the court rejected the case after the DNA test proved that the UAE national was not the biological father of the baby.
The source said the police have now detained the ‘husband’ and a friend for interrogation. The child has been left with the woman on humanitarian grounds until completion of interrogation.
At noon on Sunday, the operations room of the Dubai Police received information that a Russian speaking woman wearing an explosive belt was demanding to meet His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. She also demanded that the paternity of her son be proved and threatened to blow herself up if her demands were not met. The woman entered the Public Prosecution building before midday and showed her belt to the employees and clients. The police and the Civil Defence evacuated the building soon.
Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, headed the team of negotiators. Explosives experts and civil defence teams were stationed at the building.
According to an advocate who spoke to Khaleej Times, the woman will most probably get a stiff penalty. “She disrupted a public department and the authorities had to evacuate it. The staff had to be put out of work. Besides, her talk about carrying explosives and her threats of using them could have resulted in a public panic and disorder.”
No comments :
Post a Comment