New clues emerge

Suzan Tamim's father is providing information which it is believed will narrow the list of suspects in the murder.

Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim was stabbed to death in her apartment.

The father of murdered Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim has provided information to Dubai Police that is believed to be narrowing the list of suspects in the case. Last weekend, the singer's father, Abdul Sattar Tamim, flew to Dubai from Lebanon with her brother to identify her body and discuss the investigation with police. Mr Tamin revealed the information, which police have refused to disclose, in an interview lasting several hours with senior officers at Dubai Police headquarters on Saturday.

In a telephone interview with Al Arabiya satellite television before leaving for Dubai, he claimed his daughter's killer was a hit man and that he knew his identity. He also hinted that he had documents and evidence to prove his theory, which he would be handing over to police. Tamim's body has been at the Criminal Investigation Department coroner's office since it was discovered by police last Monday night, more than 13 hours after she was killed.

A senior police official confirmed that the 31-year-old singer's body would be released to her family today. They plan to take her back to Lebanon for her funeral. She was found lying on the living room floor of her flat in Jumeirah Beach Residence with her neck slit and multiple stab wounds to her face and body. It is not known whether the weapon used in the attack was found at the scene. "The autopsy is complete and the body is ready to be released to the family," said a police source who requested that he not be named. He added that several people had been questioned and that the investigation had extended to several countries.

Adel Maatouk, the singer's estranged husband and former business partner, had not flown to Dubai from Lebanon despite reports to the contrary, the source said. There had been speculation that Mr Maatouk flew to Dubai but returned home after police refused to release his wife's body to him. The source also disclosed that Tamim could have been married to more than one man. Riyadh al Azzawi, a British-Iraqi kick-boxer, told a press conference in London yesterday that he and the singer had been married for a year and lived together in London for 18 months despite her still being married to Mr Maatouk.

@Email:[e-mail]