DUBAI // Five men killed a compatriot by stabbing him repeatedly with a knife and a sword before hitting him on the head with a shovel and a rock, it was revealed in court.
The men, all Emirati, are also accused of throwing acid at three other men on March 16 last year in Al Warqaa.
They denied charges of premeditated murder and physical assault at Dubai Criminal Court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said the defendants, all between 20 and 33, were arrested shortly after the victim arrived at hospital in critical condition. The 25-year-old died soon after.
“I am certain that they had been high on some drug because I have never seen a brutal attack like this one, they kept on stabbing and hitting him for nearly half an hour,” said a friend of the victim, who suffered burns after being hit on the head with a bottle containing acid.
The friend, also 25, told the court the incident started when one of the men insulted the victim after which a second defendant threw a bottle of acid at them.
“Four of them then chased him and one stabbed him in the back as he ran. He fell to the ground, then one started stabbing him with a knife, another with a sword, the third hit him repeatedly with a shovel while the last struck him on the head with a rock. This lasted for about half an hour,” said the friend, who put the victim in a car and took him to hospital when the men left.
“Before he died, he smiled and told me he knew he was going to die,” the friend said.
The next hearing will be on April 27.
salamir@thenational.ae
