Dubai: A visitor contended in court on Sunday that he was drunk and does not remember claiming to be a Daesh member when he threatened to blow up a hotel.

The Saudi visitor, M.K., was said to have called up the reception of a five star hotel where he had been staying and claimed that he is a member of Daesh and threatened to detonate a bomb in the hotel if they did not send him room service in October.

Prosecutors accused M.K. of threatening the Egyptian receptionist over the phone by saying, “I belong to Deash group and will blow up the hotel if you do not send me someone from room service to help me.”

He was also charged with consuming liquor.

“I was too drunk and I do not remember what happened then,” said the defendant when he entered his plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

“Did you threaten the employee and threaten to blow up the hotel?” presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi asked the defendant.

“I had consumed alcohol and I was too drunk to remember what happened or what I said. I don’t remember anything. I only gained consciousness in the police station … but I cannot remember anything else,” replied M.K.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the defendant threatened the hotel employee over the phone and consumed liquor.

The Egyptian receptionist testified to prosecutors that the incident happened while he was on duty at the front desk at 5.30pm.

“The resident [defendant] who stayed in room 515 called the reception and said that he is a member of the Daesh group … he claimed that he would blow up the hotel if we did not send room service to help him. I immediately called up the police,” claimed the witness.

During Sunday’s hearing in court, the suspect’s lawyer asked the presiding judge to acquit M.K., who did not have a criminal intention. “The suspect was too drunk to be serious in saying that he intended to blow up the hotel. Besides, how could he be serious about blowing up the room where he was physically present? Meanwhile prosecutors did not present any substantial evidence against my client. They built up their case against M.K. based on a single witness’ statement. They also did not transcribe or hear the supposed phone call in which M.K. was accused of threatening to blow up the hotel. The defendant did not have any criminal intention,” argued the lawyer in the written defence.

The suspect has never been involved in any criminal case and enjoys a clean criminal record in his country and the UAE, argued the lawyer.

“We ask the court to initially acquit M.K. or hand him a lenient punishment,” concluded the lawyer in the written defence.

A ruling will be heard on November 22.