Dubai assault that killed Israeli stemmed from family dispute, says police

AFP | Dubai                                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Police in Dubai said Thursday a dispute between two families was behind the fatal assault of an Israeli man by eight other Israelis who have been arrested in the emirate.

Ghassan Shamsyeh, 33, died of wounds suffered in Wednesday's attack in the Business Bay area of Dubai, the main tourist hub of the United Arab Emirates, according to the authorities.

The eight suspects, all of whom are in police custody, "had arrived from a European country for tourism and shopping", Dubai police said in a statement.

They encountered Shamsyeh in a cafe which led to a "confrontation and a mutual assault that eventually resulted in the death of the victim due to the use of a sharp tool".

"The fatal assault stemmed from an ongoing dispute between two families," said the police statement.

A spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry told AFP on Wednesday that the victim had been "stabbed to death".

Violent crimes are relatively rare in Dubai which prides itself on its safety.

The UAE has welcomed hundreds of Israeli nationals as both visitors and residents since the two countries in 2020 signed a US-brokered deal establishing ties.

It was part of a series of deals with Arab countries that became known as the Abraham Accords.