An American school teacher was stabbed to death in a public restroom at a mall in Abu Dhabi, local police said Tuesday.
A statement posted on the Abu Dhabi Interior Ministry’s website said the victim was a 37-year-old American woman. Her name has not been made public. She was stabbed on Monday with a sharp tool that has been confiscated by police. The police said her attacker was wearing the traditional black robe, full-face veil, and gloves commonly worn by local women throughout the Arab Gulf region.
The victim’s 11-year-old twins are now in police custody, where they will remain until their father, who is the victim’s ex-husband, arrives from abroad.
Col Rashid Borshid, head of the criminal investigation department, said the attacker remains at large. He said police are investigating possible motives and the gender of the attacker.
He said a fight broke out between the victim and the attacker in the women’s restroom just before the stabbing, which took place on the upscale Reem Island in Abu Dhabi.
“The Abu Dhabi Police will spare no effort in order to unveil this heinous crime and bring the culprit to justice,” he said in the statement.
The US embassy in the United Arab Emirates said they are aware of the incident and are in contact with Emirati authorities. The embassy said it stands ready to offer all possible consular services.
The UAE is a western-allied, seven-state federation that includes the glitzy commercial hub of Dubai and the oil-rich capital of Abu Dhabi. It is home to a sizable western population where foreigners outnumber Emirati citizens.
The UAE prides itself on being a safe haven in the turbulent Middle East. It is part of the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Iraq and Syria.
