Police in Abu Dhabi arrested a female suspect who stabbed an American kindergarden teacher to death in a mall bathroom. The victim, Ibolya Ryan was a mother to 11-year-old twins.
Ryan was born in Hungary and previously lived in Colorado. “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,” said interior Minister Saif bin Zayed.
Dala al Hashemi of Yemeni was arrested Thursday (Dec. 4) in connection with Ryan’s murder, and planting a bomb at an American doctor’s officer, although it is believed that she did not act alone.
Bin Zayed said in a statement that the suspect “targeted her victims based on nationality alone.”
The motive for the stabbing wasn’t immediately known, but the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi issued a warning on Oct. 29 to U.S. citizens about an anonymous web posting that urged attacks against American teachers, but noted no specific threats.
The surveillance cameras’ eerie images show the culprit entering the mall on Dec. 1 as well as the crime scene. In the video, the weapon shown appears to be a large kitchen knife. The surveillance video ends with onlookers pointing at the suspect and trying to stop the person, who fled to an elevator and left the mall.
Abu Dhabi police also released video showing what they claimed was a bomb at the home of an Egyptian American doctor, who was identified only the initials M.H. and his age, 46.
One of the doctor’s children noticed the strange object in front of their door, and the family called a security guard to investigate. The guard informed police, authorities said.
“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. Rashid Borshid, head of the criminal investigation unit at Abu Dhabi’s police department, said today.
The device consisted of “small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue, and nails to cause maximum injuries when detonated,” a police statement said. The doctor lived at the address with his wife and three children, police said.
Hashemi confessed to killing Ryan, according to authorities.
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Photo: ABC News
