Abu Dhabi: Ten court hearings, including hours of witness testimonies, discussions of evidence and mental health issues resulted in one ultimate conclusion: convicted killer Ala’a Al Hashemi’s execution by firing sqaud yesterday.
After having killed 47-year-old American kindergarten teacher Ibolya Ryan in the women’s bathroom of the capital’s Boutik Mall, Ala’a planted a crude bomb outside the Khalidiya area home of an Egyptian-American doctor.
Consequently, Ala’a faced eight charges, including murder, attempted murder, terrorism, sending funds to Al Qaida and promoting terrorist ideals on a website run by her husband, in addition to making slanderous comments about the UAE and its leaders.
Although a video tape of Ala’a’s full confession of how she carried out the attack was shown in court, her lawyer argued that she only did so under physical and emotional duress.
Her lawyer, Abdul Kader Al Haithami, also cited mental illness of his client despite the conclusion made by a court-ordered medical committee which concluded that Ala’a was in control of her actions when she committed the crimes.
Additionally, Al Haithami also argued that Ala’a’s husband, who is currently detained pending terrorism charges, was the one who influenced her into carrying out the murder. Two female witnesses who were in the bathroom during the incident told the court that they had seen a violent altercation take place behind the door of a bathroom stall.
Meanwhile, Dr Mohammad Hassan, the second victim, told the court that he had rushed home once his wife informed him of a ‘foreign object’ placed outside his home.
He also stated that police assured him that Ala’a’s actions had no personal motive against him.
