Woman Arrested For Killing US Teacher in Abu Dhabi Mall
Abu Dhabi police have arrested a woman in connection with the murder of an American teacher, Ibolya Ryan, in a mall Monday.
The woman also planted a crude bomb at an American doctor's house, which was later dismantled. The police said that the actions were based "on nationality alone and had nothing to do with personal issues." The woman, whose name was not released, confessed to her crimes.
"She aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country, and terrorize people in the UAE," police said in a statement Thursday, reports NBC. The United Arab Emirates minister of interior, Saif Bin Zayed, said the suspect is an Emirati national in her late 30s.
The woman killed Ryan, mother of three, with a kitchen knife in a restroom at the Reem Mall and security cameras show her fleeing the scene after committing the crime.
The murder followed a mysterious posting on a jihadist website encouraging people to attack teachers of American schools in the Middle East. The United States embassies in the region had issued a cautionary warning about the posts.
It is unclear how the police were able to identify the suspect as she was covered from head to foot in an abaya with gloves. The officials had released the video showing her entering and leaving the mall after committing the crime. Another video released later showed her with a suitcase leaving in a white car.
It seems police traced her through the car as the video shows security officials in a house with the car parked outside.
Ibolya Ryan was living with her twin sons aged 11 in Abu dhabi. She has a 15-year-old daughter studying in Europe. "She was a great person," said Karen Ryan, a relative to NBC. "She was so committed to her teaching."