Woman executed for teacher’s murder

Abu Dhabi: The UAE executed early on Monday Ala’a Badr Abdullah Al Hashimi, an Emirati woman convicted of terrorism two weeks ago, after the killing of an American kindergarten teacher in December 2014.

According to the courts, Ibolya Ryan, 47, was stabbed in a shopping mall toilet by Alaa Al Hashemi, a mother of six.

It cited prosecutors at the state security court but did not say how the execution was carried out.

The ruling was made by the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi, which can not be appealed but require the formal approval of the head of state in the UAE, where executions are rare.

Hashemi “was also found guilty of sending money to Al-Qaeda in Yemen, knowing the funds would be used in terrorist acts”, a report in Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National said.

Hashemi was tracked down after CCTV footage showed her going in and out of the restroom where Ms Ryan’s murder took place.

Hashemi was arrested at her home where her vehicle was found with blood on the steering wheel and bomb making materials inside. Her attire in the images earned her the nickname the “Reem Ghost”.

Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the incident was “alien to our secure country”, and said the attacker targeted her victims because of their nationality, in an attempt to terrorise and create chaos in the country.

Authorities also accused her of providing financial support to unspecified terror organizations and using email to “disseminate activities of the terrorist organizations”, the news agency reported.