DUBAI // A drunk accountant threatened a man with a knife and demanded Dh5,000 or he would kill him, a court was told.
Dubai Criminal Court heard that on November 28, A A, 31, from Comoros Islands, attacked A K A, a 52-year-old Emirati, after drinking alcohol.
A A was charged with issuing threats to kill accompanied by a demand to pay ransom, and with consuming alcohol without a licence. He was not present in court to enter a plea.
“I was leaving a hotel in Al Qusais at nearly 2am when a man appeared in front of me and asked for my name,” A K A said. “He asked if I was from Sharjah and I said yes, then he told me he had a weapon and would kill anyone, so I better walk with him.”
A A walked towards the lifts with A K A, and then waved the knife in his face and told him he had been paid Dh5,000 by some people and ordered to kill him.
“He asked me to pay him more so he wouldn’t kill me, then said that he didn’t care since he had a criminal record. Besides that, no one would know that he killed me,” said A K A, who managed to escape and gained the help of security guards.
The manager of the dance club where the victim was that night testified that A A was present and had been causing a disturbance.
“He had an altercation with one of the guards and I warned him about that, but minutes later I saw him as he approached A K A and took him out to a corner,” said A M A, a 51-year-old Syrian.
A M A said he then saw A K A running outside, so he went to talk with A A to ask him what had happened.
“I told him he had been pushing customers away and asked him to sit, or I would have him thrown out of the place.
“At that moment I was told he had a knife, so we called police,” he said.
The next hearing will be on April 26 to summon the defendant.
salamir@thenational.ae