DUBAI // Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Minister of Interior, has praised the joint UK-UAE police team that apprehended the suspects in the brutal London hammer attack on three Emirati sisters in April.
Sheikh Saif, also Deputy Prime Minister, on Tuesday met senior investigators from the Metropolitan Police who were involved in tracking and arresting the suspects.
On April 6, Ohoud Al Najjar, 34, lost her left eye and was reported by doctors to have only 5 per cent brain function.
Her sister Khuloud, 36, suffered two skull fractures, a broken arm and a fractured cheekbone.
The third sister, Fatima, 31, had a fractured skull and a ruptured eardrum in the attack.
London officers were aided by two teams from Abu Dhabi Police who flew out after the assault at the Cumberland Hotel in London.
The first team was from the CID, while the second team was from the Social Support Centres Department, who gave support to the victims.
Sheikh Saif praised the role of the joint team in uncovering the details of the incident and identifying the five suspects – four men and one woman.
He also said the security cooperation between Emirati and British authorities was of a high standard.
The two officers in charge of the investigation in London – detective superintendent Carl Mehta and detective chief inspector Andy Chalmers – are scheduled to give lectures in a series of workshops to talk about the role of the joint investigation in solving the case.
Philip Spence, 32, was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated burglary. Thomas Efremi, 56, was charged with handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation, while James Moss, 33, was also charged with handling stolen goods. The female suspect, Carly Baker, 31 was charged with handling stolen goods, and released on bail while a fifth suspect, a 34-year-old man, was also bailed.
The next hearing will take place at Southwark Crown Court on July 3.
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