A Woman Suspected of Murdering an American Teacher in Abu Dhabi Arrested

The United Arab Emirates has announced the arrest of a woman on suspicion of murdering an American teacher in Abu Dhabi; the arrested woman is also suspected of planting a bomb outside the home of an Egyptian-American doctor following the teacher's murder. On Monday, December 1, a person wearing a black veil killed an American teacher in a public restroom of a shopping center in Abu Dhabi with 'butcher knife' strikes. On Thursday, December 4, Colonel Rashid Bourshid, a senior police official in Abu Dhabi, announced the arrest of the murder suspect and stated that a bomb she had 'planted hours later' outside the American doctor’s home had been discovered and defused. According to the Associated Press, the UAE's Minister of Interior, General Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also made similar statements regarding the arrest of a suspect. The New York Times noted that in his statements, the arrested woman was not directly referred to as a 'terrorist.' This hints at concerns that the murder of the American woman in emirates housing many Western teachers and staff may have had terrorist motives. Reuters reported that the U.S. Embassy in the UAE had referenced a post in an internet forum linked to 'jihadists' in October, which called for attacks on 'American teachers' in the region. The UAE Minister of Interior also stated that the suspect chose her targets based on their 'nationality' and intended to create an atmosphere of fear and chaos. UAE officials have not disclosed the identity of the arrested individual and have not stated whether she acted alone or was part of a larger group. The New York Times mentioned that while General Al Nahyan stated that the bomb placed outside the Egyptian-American doctor’s home was found hours after the teacher's murder on Monday, Colonel Bourshid said the bomb was discovered on Tuesday. The deceased teacher, Ebolia Ryan, leaves behind twin children who are under the supervision of UAE police awaiting their father.