Dubai: Teenagers going to a "gang fight" arm themselves with swords and knives and do not hesitate to whip them out at the slightest provocation, many youngsters told Gulf News.

On Thursday night, a 13-year-old boy Ali Mohammad died after being stabbed 11 times following a fight between a group of teenagers. There have been several incidents where teenagers have knifed each other in gang fights. Some cases are reported to police, while others are not.

Some teenagers said they have witnessed several fights where boys came armed with knives, swords and sharp tools and pulled them out when the argument got "really aggressive and provocative" "to ensure maximum damage was done to the other party."

Ahmad S.,a 16-year-old boy, said he keeps a knife at home just in case. When asked why he needs a knife, he said usually the other gang comes with a large number of boys of all ages and it gets difficult to fight them with just hands or sticks because they are armed with knives and sharp tools.

"I keep it at home as a precaution. I do not carry it with me. My parents do not know about it, but I honestly do not use it," Ahmad said.

Asked how he obtained the knife Ahmad was hesitant to say, but said one of his older friends gave it to him.

"I had gone with a friend, who is 20, to a shop in Naif. The shop sells all types of knives, but only to those older than 18 years. The shops say they are licensed and can only sell them to those who are 18 years and above after checking their ID," he said.

Ahmad said his friend bought a long knife and a sword after showing the seller his driving licence.

"My friend gave me the knife as a precaution because he said ‘you never know when will you need it'".

Khalid, 17, said he was able to easily buy a knife from a shop when he was 16.

"I went to this shop in Naif and he did not ask my age or any identity card. He even took out several types of knives for me to choose from," he said.

He said in another incident, a friend told him that a shoe shop in the same area was selling a unique type of knife, but under the table.

"When I went to that shop, he took out large knives and offered me a discount if I agreed to buy two," Khalid said.

A 20-year-old, who did not wish to be named, said he did not own a knife, but has friends who do and some of them carry them.

"If my friends call me and say there is a fight, I avoid meeting them and sometimes I do not even pick up their calls because I know they will be carrying sharp tools," he said.

Last month, a man in his 20s attacked a 17-year-old boy after an argument between the two. The man pulled a knife, the boy escaped with scratches on his forehead, he said.

"The victim was my friend and had scratches on his forehead as a result of the knife attack, but none of them complained to the police because they knew all of them would get in trouble for fighting and using a knife," he said.

Should there be stricter regulations against this? What can be done to reduce the number of knife-related crimes? What are the most dangerous products that you have seen being sold in a shop? Where did you find them?