Abu Dhabi: The State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the case of the Reem Island murder suspect to April 21 to hear more witnesses, following a request by the defendant’s lawyer.
Presiding judge Falah Al Hajiri also assigned a medical committee to examine the defendant, Emirati Ala’a Bader Al Hashemi, who is accused of killing an American teacher in Boutik Mall on Reem Island.
The committee will examine her psychological state, and refer her to psychiatrists to determine whether she is mentally fit and responsible for her actions. The committee has been directed to present its medical report in the next hearing.
The court also asked the authorities to call six people who work at the mall as witnesses in the next session. They include a saleswoman, a purchase manager at the mall, two security guards, and two doctors.
Evidence
Tuesday’s session started at 11.15am with the court examining evidence submitted by the prosecution. These included the knife allegedly used by the defendant to murder the victim and boxes of explosive materials, other tools used to make the bomb, flammable substances, and the black bag where the defendant kept the tools.
The defendant is also accused of planting a handmade bomb in front of another American citizen’s apartment.
Prosecution also presented gas pipes that were used to make the explosive materials, the bomb that was planted in front of a man’s apartment, a box of bolts, lighters, an electric lamp, and the newspaper that the defendant used to hide the murder weapon.
The defendant denied any knowledge of these items, saying, “I don’t know. I don’t remember”. She claimed that the knife did not belong to her.
Video clips
Afterwards, prosecution showed the court video clips and pictures of the crime scene, and a video clip of the defendant confessing to her crime, where she described details of walking into the mall and even stabbing the victim to death.
The clip also showed how the defendant planted the bomb, and how she hid the licence number of her car. The car is registered under her husband’s name, Mohammad Abdul Kader Al Habashi, who is jailed by State Security in a terrorism case.
The defence lawyer then requested that the defendant be examined by a team of psychiatrists for at least five weeks, and put under observation.
In earlier sessions, the defendant claimed that she suffered from a chronic mental illness that made her imagine people torturing her, and that she was hysterical.
“I’ve been seeing imaginary people since I was three years old, and I used to tell my mother about them. She doesn’t see them but she noticed odd things about me,” the defendant had said, adding that she was possessed by an evil spirit.
