Sword-wielding 'gang' attacks men in car, court hears

Three Emiratis are accused of being among seven who forced a vehicle off the road, then smashed it with weapons when its occupants wouldn't get out.

DUBAI // Three men, who police say are part of a "gang", are facing charges of assaulting two men with swords after ambushing them on a road and forcing their car to stop, a court heard this morning.

The suspects, all Emiratis, were driving a Nissan Sunny, when they cut off the victims' Honda Civic in Al Warqa area and stopped in the middle of the road, records showed. They stepped out of their vehicle armed with swords and approached the car, prosecutors said.

When they headed towards the Civic, the driver tried to to reverse, but was boxed in by a second vehicle that had pulled in behind him. More men, also armed with swords, got out of the second car.

According to records, the suspects, AM, 27, AS, 23, and SB, 26, and others who were not named and are at large attacked the victim's car, attempting to get the victims, MA, 23, and MM, 27, out of the vehicle. When they failed, they started damaging the car. 

The victims told prosecutors about seven men were involved in the attack, records show. 

A Dubai Police major told prosecutors that he spotted the attack while driving by, and when he stepped out of his car, the suspects fled. According to records, he wrote down the plate numbers of both vehicles. 

AM appeared this morning before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance and denied all charges, while the other suspects did not attend. 

AS is separately facing charges of resisting four police officers and brandishing his sword at them, records said. 

Prosecutors said that the suspects will be referred to the Misdemeanours Court for endangering others' lives and resisting police. 

The next hearing has been scheduled for March 10.

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