DUBAI // An off-duty soldier and his friend who warned three men that smoke was coming from their car were then attacked with swords, a court heard.
Dubai Criminal Court was told that at 1am on March 13, Armed Forces officer K H was driving with his Omani friend S Z on Beirut Street, Al Qusais, when they saw the smoking car.
Inside it were Emiratis M A, 22, K A, 26, and another man.
“I tried to alert them to the smoke when we stopped at the traffic lights. M A told me that it was not my business,” the soldier said.
The men then followed him and his friend, and told them to stop the car.
“When we got out of the car the defendants and a third man came toward us with swords,” the soldier said.
“K A hit me with the sword while M A and the other guy ran after S Z, who ran away.”
M A and the other man could not catch the Omani, so M A attacked the soldier.
“He hit me on the head and shoulder. I heard M A telling the unidentified man that he wanted to cut my head off.”
The Omani said he ran away when he saw the men carrying swords.
“I think they were high on drugs and drunk because they couldn’t catch me when I ran away,” he said.
M A shouted at him, threatening to chop his head off if he did not stop.
K A and M A then smashed the windshield of the soldier’s car using their swords and fled.
The Omani said: “When they left I went back and saw K H bleeding, before the ambulance and police arrived.”
The two victims told police they could not identify the third man, but were able to pick the other two out from a police line-up.
K A and M A deny charges of attempted murder and destruction of property.
The case was adjourned until July 26.
tzriqat@newsdesk@thenational,ae
