Father of Emirati women attacked in London hotel speaks out

The Cumberland Hotel in central London, where three women from the UAE were attacked in their room by a man wielding a hammer. Andrew Cowie / AFP

Update: Three men and a woman arrested over attacks

The 70-year-old father of three Emirati women attacked in their London hotel room was able to speak to his eldest daughter for the first time on Monday evening.

“Khuloud, they told me, had an operation on her nose and jaw,” said Jaffar Nasser Al Najjar. “I could barely hear her. She kept saying, ‘I’m OK, Dad. Don’t worry’.

“My other daughter, Ohoud, is in a coma. Her brother tells me she is OK. How is she OK if she’s in a coma?”

A third sister, Fatima, was also injured. The women are all in their thirties. Three children aged 7 to 12 were asleep in an adjoining room on the seventh floor of the Cumberland Hotel in central London between 1am and 2am on Sunday when the sisters were attacked by a man wielding a hammer.

“Their stepbrother, Saif, called me at around 5pm on Sunday and told me that there was an accident and my three daughters were lying in the hospital. Their mother almost died when she heard the news.

“My heart is broken to a million pieces and I can’t do anything except to pray that they return safely.”

Mr Al Najjar has a medical problem that makes it painful for him to walk, and he was advised by his brother not to travel.

“I used to be able to walk a little but after this news I can’t move at all. My brother Abdel Wahab has a diplomatic passport so he travelled to London on the first flight out.”

Mr Al Najjar has since managed to obtain a visa and flight ticket, but was told to stay home. His brother is head of diplomatic affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“My brother told me not to come because it will be an inconvenience for them. Also, I will need assistance and all their attention should be focused on the girls, not me.”

The women’s mother is among eight family members who have travelled to London to support them. “They told me that two police officers are guarding each of them, 24 hours a day,” Mr Al Najjar said.

“There are police everywhere and everyone is being questioned, even my four-year-old grandchild,” Mr Al Najjar said.

“I am being kept in the dark but my brother tells me that I will know everything in a few hours.”

Mr Al Najjar has seven daughters and one son. “One of my daughters is studying in France and I am now worried about her after this incident.”

Police were called to the hotel at 1.50am and said the women were attacked after they awoke and disturbed the intruder. Detectives found a hammer at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police are treating the attacks as attempted murder and have appealed for anyone with information to contact them. The investigation is being led by detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, under Detective Chief Inspector Andy Chalmers.

Abdulrahman Al Mutaiwee, the UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom, told the Abu Dhabi TV news show Olum al Dar: “We got the news at almost two in the morning, and I sent a team from the embassy to get updates and to check the girls’ health.

“This is a bizarre act, it has never occurred to an Emirati family in London before, but it is possible such an accident could occur, of course.

“The embassy has provided what is necessary to save the family from such a terrible incident.”

He said people should take precautions when travelling and try not to draw attention to themselves by appearance or actions.

The women’s stepsister, Shaikha Al Muhairi, sent a message after the attack to Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. ”Then I received several calls, I don’t know from who but they were asking where I am and what we needed,” she told the TV show.

“They also moved us to another hotel. I told them I don’t want to stay one minute, with security surrounding us and they provided transportation,” she said.

To the TV audience, she said: “All I ask is you pray for my sisters, they are in critical conditions.”

* Additional reporting by Ayesha Al Khoori

Update: Three men and a woman arrested over attacks