Ibn Battuta Mall knife attack suspect mentally unstable

Dubai: The victim of a stabbing incident at Ibn Battuta Mall last week is recovering in hospital, a senior police official said.

A British national of Pakistani origin walked into a flower shop accusing a shop attendant of spying on him and his family before grabbing a big knife and attacking the latter, the official said.

The suspect, contrary to reports in the media, is psychologically unstable and schizophrenic, the official said.

The suspect was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs when he grabbed the knife, the official said.

The suspect, a visitor living in Dubai with his family, was arrested late last week and put under expert supervision for a while in hospital before being taken to a Dubai Police detention facility.

He was arrested for allegedly stabbing an Asian employed at a flower shop in the mall last Wednesday.