‘Bomb belt’ accused sent picture warning she would blow up Dubai court building

A woman has denied all charges of threatening to blow up a public prosecution building in Dubai.

DUBAI // A woman sent a picture of a bomb belt to a man she claims is the father of her son, warning she would detonate it in a Dubai building, a court has heard.

And when inside the building, which houses Dubai Public Prosecutions, she said there was also a car bomb outside, the Criminal Court was told.

Prosecutors said she demanded a paternity test to prove that J S A was the biological father of her 10-year-old son.

The woman, Zulfiya Hamraeva, 33, was charged at the court on Sunday, where scenes of panic and terror at the building on September 1 were described.

J S A, 49, also gave evidence. He told the court he met the Uzbeki woman in 2003 and 10 days later she claimed she was pregnant to him.

“We both went to Ajman court and I was acquitted but she was jailed for one month,” he said.

Ms Hamraeva was also convicted of adultery by the court.

In 2007 she filed a case against him in Sharjah to prove he was the father of her son, but the Sharjah court refused to hear the case on the basis of the Ajman ruling.

“Again I was acquitted but she caused me many family problems and started calling me,” he said.

“On August 20 she sent me a picture of the explosive belt along with a voice message saying that I will see the bombing.”

A member of the Armed Forces, he told the court he did not take her threats seriously and was astonished when she went to the building wearing the belt.

“She had been asking me to admit the boy is my son but I was not sure. She also demanded that I give her Dh3 million and a villa,” he said.

M Y A, 28, an Emirati police captain from Fujairah, was charged with aiding and abetting the woman by making the belt, and suggesting she go to the building to demand that J S A take the DNA test.

The officer denied the charge but his request for bail was refused.

The court also heard from witnesses at the building on September 1 who described the scenes that followed the bomb threats.

M A, 33, a prosecution reception employee, said he saw the defendant clap to draw attention, then she started screaming and opened her abaya to reveal the belt.

“People were terrified and started running out of the building. I’m still terrified and often have nightmares because of the incident,” he said.

Emirati B A, 45, said he remembered meeting the woman at the gate of the building. He later watched as she opened her abaya.

“She was screaming about having a problem related to her son,” he said. “She was pointing at him and demanding to meet a prosecution official and then people started screaming ‘explosive belt, explosive belt as they rushed outside’.

“I ran outside and because of the crowds pushing I fell on the stairs and my back was injured.”

One of the negotiators at the scene, Col M A A, 47, told the court that when he arrived the woman asked for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

He said she also asked for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister; Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah; his wife Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi; and Uzbeki consul and lawyer Muna Al Khaja.

“She continued making the threats and said that she would make explosions outside the building as there was a car carrying explosives and placed somewhere outside,” the negotiator said, adding that she made phone calls to someone about this.

“Her belt looked very much real with its wire hooked to a detonator. This happened for the first time in the UAE and it’s so grave. Others may try to do like she did.”

The belt turned out to be an elaborate fake.

Ms Hamraeva was charged with threatening prosecution employees and visitors, endangering the lives and safety of people and spreading terror. She denied all the charges.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 25.