(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A 25-year-old Emirati was killed and three others were injured in an armed clash between two groups in Al Warqa area of Dubai in the early hours of Monday in a grim reminder of the 'sword gang' attacks that shocked the community three years back.
The deceased has been identified as Hamdan, 25, while the injured are his friends Fahd, Ahmed and Mohammed, all between 23 and 24.
They had a dispute with the group that attacked them. Around 2am on Monday, Hamdan and his friends went to the house of the first suspect, Khalid, who works at one of the Dubai airports. There were also 12 of Khalid's friends.
Arguments snowballed into a clash and Khalid and eight of his friends attacked the first group. They stabbed Hamdan with a sword and poured acid on him. They also sprayed acid on the heads and faces of Hamdan's three friends who suffered burns. Hamdan died on the way to the hospital while two of his friends were admitted to the ICU and later moved to the ward but they disappeared. Their other friend was discharged after receiving first aid.
The police managed to arrest three members of the first group, including Khalid, from Al Warqa area and another from the hospital where the victims were taken to. The police are on the lookout for the other two suspects.
The investigation is ongoing.
In another incident on Sunday, an Emirati sergeant of the Sharjah Police suffered serious injuries after he was stabbed repeatedly by a group of three compatriots.
A police source said three UAE nationals, including the sergeant, who came from a night club in Dubai started a fight with a group of three other Emiratis as the latter stared at them when their cars were stopped at a traffic signal in Al Qusais. One of the youths in the second car challenged the other group to come out of the car if they dared. The sergeant and his two friends got down from their car. By the time, some more of their friends who were following them in another car arrived on the scene.
Suddenly, two youngsters jumped out of the other car carrying swords and started stabbing the sergeant in his back, face and chest. At this, the sergeant's friends fled the scene. The attackers also left the scene immediately.
The police rushed the injured sergeant to Rashid Hospital.
The police managed to track down and arrest the three suspects who were hiding in Ras Al Khaimah.
They confessed to the crime and were referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution.
Boy's murder in 2012
Colonel Saeed Al Aili said fighting between groups of youths had almost stopped in Dubai after a similar incident in 2012 in which a 13-year-old boy was murdered in Rashidiya by a group of armed youngsters. This forced the police to intensify patrolling and prevent youths from gathering at street corners at night.
Lt-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, called for a new law criminalising the possession of sharp-edged weapons.
Later, the Dubai Police officers were instructed to take any youth found roaming the streets on foot or in cars at night and carrying such weapons into custody. The police started summoning the parents of such youths and made them signing undertakings stating that they would be held responsible if their children are found carrying weapons again.
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