Dubai Police officers tackle armed man after fatal stabbing in street

Two patrolmen disarmed and restrained the suspect who carried a knife in each hand

Dubai Police chief Lt Gen Abdullah Al Marri, along with a senior officer from Naif police station, honour patrol officers Corporal Abdullah Al Hosani and Abdullah Noor Al Din for their bravery. Courtesy: Dubai PoliceShow less

A man has died from stab wounds after an attack outside a grocery shop in Dubai.

The incident happened at about 2pm on Friday in the busy Freij Murar area of Naif, Deira.

An Arab man carrying two knives was disarmed and arrested at the scene.

Corporal Abdullah Al Hosani and patrol officer Abdullah Noor Al Din were alerted after people congregated around the suspect.

“They noticed the huge crowd gathered,” said Brigadier Tariq Tahlak, head of Naif Police Station.

“He was waving the knives around hysterically and threatening to attack whoever came near.”

The station chief said the police officers tackled the suspect.

“They disarmed and tied him up while waiting for backup, preventing him from committing further assaults,” said Brig Tahlak.

The motive behind the attack is not clear, but witnesses told police the suspect and victim walked into the shop together.

When the victim went to leave, the suspect stabbed him repeatedly in the back.

“He then left him bleeding heavily on the ground and started screaming and waving the knives to scare the crowd," Brig Tahlak said.

The injured man was taken to hospital where he later died.

Police declined to disclose further details, other than that the two men were from the same undisclosed country. The suspect was forwarded for prosecution.

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On April 26, it will be one year since the Covid-19 lockdown in Naif, one of Dubai's oldest districts, was lifted. 'The National' visited the neighbourhood to see how residents and businesses are faring. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

Residents were under strict stay-home orders from March 31 until April 26 of last year to control the spread of Covid-19. Authorities carried out mass testing and a sanitisation operation in the area

Shop owners said their businesses would pick up once more tourists start visiting the area. Naif is one of the oldest commercial districts of Dubai and used to be packed with tourists before the pandemic

Now, the streets mostly consist of local residents

Fawaz Bello, from Nigeria, was one of the thousands of people affected by the lockdown last year. He lives and works in the area and said life is slowly returning to normal for him

Businesses that have been operating for a long time in Naif are fairing well through a loyal local customer base. The Khan Shoes Repairing and Polishing store has been in the area since 1971. Amanullah Khan, pictured, said they are managing to keep their business afloat through long-time local customers who support them

However, newer businesses in the area are waiting for a tourist influx to increase sales. Moidu Parlat bought his shop four months ago and is trying hard to make ends meet, as business is slow

Across the road from streets packed with hundreds of shops, there is a waterway in Naif where large dhow and small abra owners operate their businesses. Owners of dhows are attracting customers with attractive deals on dinner cruises

Another large dhow in Naif

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