Sword wielding brothers ran over and killed man in car 'by accident'

Two brothers in Dubai deny a charge of premeditated murder, telling the Criminal Court they did not mean or plan to kill the man.

DUBAI // Two brothers who attacked a man with swords and a hammer before running him over and dragging him beneath their 4x4 killed him “by accident”, a court heard yesterday.

Emiratis S?O, 23, and E?O, 21, who were with a number of friends and armed with swords, knives and a hammer, chased Hassan Shakir around Oud Al Mutaina on June 29 last year, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.

He managed to escape by hiding between parked cars as the gang looked for him and then ran off.

The two brothers got into their vehicle and drove after him. The older brother took the wheel and sped towards Mr Shakir, smashing into two cars as he did so. The brothers caught Mr Shakir and ran over him. His body was dragged beneath the 4x4 for about 15 metres.

The brothers stopped the vehicle, jumped out and fled.

A?G, a 27-year-old policewoman who lives in the neighbourhood, witnessed the attack and called fellow officers.

She said she clearly saw the brothers inside the car as they drove towards Mr Shakir.

“Only four metres were between me and them,” she said, adding that the driver did not hesitate or slow down before hitting the man.

Police arrived to find a crowd surrounding Mr Shakir’s dead, blood-stained body. The brothers were spotted nearby and, when police arrested them, the enraged crowd tried to assault them.

The older brother was found to be bleeding heavily from his back and the driver’s seat in the vehicle was covered in blood.

Prosecution records did not explain how the injury occurred. A hammer and knife, both with blood on them, were also found in the car.

The brothers denied a charge of premeditated murder, telling the court they did not mean or plan to kill Mr Shakir.

“It was an accident,” they said.

The next hearing was scheduled for January 22.