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‘Bomb-belt’ woman denies charges of threat, blackmail

An Uzbek woman, 33, on Sunday denied charges of having threatened the Public Prosecution staff to blow herself and her son up unless a DNA test was conducted to prove that an Emirati man had fathered her son.

In a packed Dubai Court of First Instance chamber, Z.H., who was brought from her detention with her 10-year-old son, also pleaded not guilty to have resisted, threatened and blackmailed police officers of blowing an explosive belt strapped on her body unless her demand of meeting officials was met. She also denied having put others’ lives at risk.

Her Emirati accomplice, a 28-year-old police captain, identified as M.D., denied having helped her make the explosive belt and thus putting others’ life in danger. Both are accused of causing people physical injuries and psychological trauma.

The incident, which caught global attention, was reported on September 1, when the woman barged into the reception hall of the Dubai Public Prosecution building and threatened to blow herself and the building up with what looked like an explosives-belt unless her demand was met.

Explosives experts from the Criminal Evidence Department found the belt to be fake. The belt was a cardboard carton, with soft drink cans attached to it.

Police officials and experts negotiated with the woman till 1am the following day to convince her to give up the belt.

A high-ranking Emirati officer from the State Security, who led the negotiating team, said Z.H. threatened to detonate the belt if her demand of meeting some rulers were not met with. She also threatened to remotely detonate other explosives simultaneously she claimed to have planted in a car.

A department director-assistant, a 43-year-old Iranian, said: “She caused panic among the customers and the employees at the prosecution and everybody rushed towards the exit doors. I was stuck in the middle of a stampede and sustained injuries on my feet and toes. I have been having recurrent nightmares about the incident ever since.”

The Emirati man, who Z.H. claims to be the biological father of her son — a 49-year-old military man — said Z.H. has been filing lawsuits against him since 2003, but was unsuccessful in proving that he was the father. “An Ajman court cleared me and sentenced her to one month in jail for adultery, with the execution of the sentence suspended for three years and deportation, while a Sharjah court dismissed a similar case.”

On August 20, Z.H. started to send him threatening text messages again. “She sent a picture of the bomb belt, with a blackmailing voice mail, but I did not take her threats seriously until I was called up by the CID officers.”

Another Public Prosecution Emirati employee, 33, said that on that day, he watched the incident live as it happened on the security cameras monitors. “The woman was standing near the reception counter and holding a small device linked to the belt wire that she was wearing. A child was accompanying her and it appeared that he was constantly moving along with her as if she was using him as a human shield.”

An Emirati trader, 45, said he slipped, fell down and injured his back because of the ensuing stampede. The case has been adjourned to the 25th of this month.

mary@khaleejtimes.com