DUBAI // Two men are accused of attacking three Saudi tourists with knives and a bar after a misunderstanding at a supermarket.
The incident unfolded after one attacker and a victim accidentally bumped into one another at the store in Muraqqabat.
An Emirati, 26, and a Comoros Island passport holder, 33, are accused in the Dubai Criminal Court of assault.
“He banged my head to a metal bar,” one of the Saudis testified, adding that he fled the scene and returned to his nearby hotel room.
“I was bleeding so I returned to our hotel room to tell my brother and his friend.”
The Saudi, 31, said he stayed in the room while his brother and another man went to look for the attackers.
“As we came out, a man carrying a knife pointed at me, then he and another person attacked me with knives, stabbing me in the left hand and thigh,” said the one of the men, 32.
He said his friend was also stabbed.
“We tried to defend ourselves and they only ran away when they heard police sirens,” said the second victim.
Members of the public gathered around the injured men and pointed police in the direction of the two attackers, who tried to speed off.
“We stopped a Nissan Maxima, in which we found the defendants in possession of drugs and knives. Their clothes were also bloodied,” said a police officer, 22.
He said a knife was found in the street where the attack happened. A fingerprint of one of the suspects was found on the knife.
“They also confessed to me that they stabbed the Saudi men,” said the officer.
A medical report stated that one victim had lost all mobility in his left hand and suffers from a 15 per cent permanent disability.
The injuries of the other two men were not as serious. The crime took place on October 26, 2014.
The Comoros Island national on Monday denied charges of physical assault on three people and causing permanent disability to one.
The Emirati was not in court to face charges. The next hearing is scheduled for June 19.
salamir@thenational.ae
