Two shot dead over road rage in Al Ain

Two young Omanis were shot dead after a heated quarrel with four unidentified youths over a minor traffic accident in Al Ain on Friday, according to sources and the Abu Dhabi Police.

Confirming the incident on Friday afternoon, the Abu Dhabi Police said the Omanis were shot dead after an argument over a collision between their and the assailants’ vehicles. However, the police did not identify the shooters’ nationality in an official statement. Names and the ages of the victims and the shooters were also not disclosed.

The statement added that an investigation was already under way to determine the circumstances that lead to the firing. “A case is already registered and the details of the incident will soon be released to the media,” it said.

Brigadier Hamad Ajlan Al Amimi, Director of the Al Ain Police Directorate-General, said that soon after the incident, reportedly between 10am and 11am, the shooters escaped from the scene and were still at large.

“Initial reports suggest it all began with a quarrel over a collision between two vehicles (the victims’ and the shooters’) that caused the death of two Omani nationals. The victims were in a Qatari-registered vehicle. The police have launched a hunt for the unidentified killers. We will soon arrest these criminals and make the incident details public,” said Al Amimi.

However, sources told Khaleej Times that the culprits were arrested on the Al Ain-Dubai Highway while escaping after the crime. However, this could not be confirmed by the police.

“After shooting the two Omanis, they immediately ignited their vehicle and escaped. But they were arrested on the Al Ain-Dubai Highway soon, following an eyewitness’ tip to the police,” said the source.Another source, elaborating on the details of the incident, said the shooters numbering four were travelling in an Al Ain-registered FJ Cruisers and the two victims were in a Qatari-registered Land Cruiser. The shooters, he added, were aged between 17 and 23, and the two Omanis were also in the same age group.

According to sources and eyewitness accounts, the incident happened not far from Al Ain’s Jimi Police Station, which is in the heart of the city.

Police patrols rushed to the site and transported the two bodies to the hospital and then to the forensic laboratory.

After the incident the police cordoned off the area and checked cars in various point of Al Ain. The police also stopped cars on the Dubai and Al Ain borders.

According to information gathered by Khaleej Times, the two Omanis were killed with a Kalashnikov or AK47 rifle.

Sources said when the quarrel between the two groups heated up, and also created traffic disturbances on the main Jimi road, one of the assailants took out the rifle from the vehicle and started shooting at the two Omanis.

nissar@khaleejtimes.com, amira@khaleejtimes.com