'Witchcraft' man arrested

Dubai // Police have arrested a Syrian who was apparently attempting to summon the spirit of Suzan Tamim, the murdered Lebanese singer, through witchcraft. The man, 56, was arrested after people at Jumeirah Beach Residence, where Ms Tamim was murdered in July, reported a man had been loitering for hours. He was also muttering incomprehensibly, burning incense and throwing powder into the air while holding up photographs of the singer. The other photos were of Hisham Talat Mustafa, an Egyptian businessman accused of hiring the man who allegedly killed Ms Tamim on July 28. According to Dubai Police detectives, the Syrian man was trying to summon her spirit to ask questions about her murder and claimed he had the ability to raise the dead. Police said they confiscated books on witchcraft, "magic" potions and incense, as well as press cuttings about the murder. The arrest was the fifth within a month involving attempts to practise the Arab form of witchcraft, or Juju. Two footballers, including UAE striker, Faisal Khalil, were arrested on suspicion of practising black magic. [e-mail]