Hubby of Reem Island Ghost on terror trial

Alaa Al Hashimi was put to death by a firing squad on July 2015.

Abu Dhabi - He was planning to perpetuate terror crimes that included planting bombs in Yas Marina circuit and in buses.

Mustafa Al Zarooni

Published: Tue 29 Dec 2015, 7:11 PM

The husband of Alaa Al Hashimi - nicknamed Reem Island Ghost, who murdered an American kindergarten teacher, Ibolya Ryan - has been charged by the public prosecution for planning assassination bids on VIPs of the country as well as planning terror crimes in Abu Dhabi's Yas Island.
The state security prosecution in Abu Dhabi on Monday levelled seven charges against M.A.S., an Emirati aged 34, for planning to perpetuate terror crimes that included planting bombs in Yas Marina circuit and in the buses ferrying foreign tourists on Abu Dhabi Corniche.
The seven counts of subversive acts listed in the arraignment sheet included making bombs to carry out his plans, attacks on IKEA building in Yas Island and other ways to harm foreign interests.
M.A.S. is the husband of the 30-year-old killer Alaa, who was put to death by a firing squad on July 2015, after being found guilty of stabbing Ryan, the 47-year-old mother of three, in a toilet at Boutik Mall on Reem Island on December 1 last year.
The order referring the accused to stand trial - the copy of which has been procured by Khaleej Times - states that M.A.S. tried to join the terror group Daesh and that he navigated and searched websites which support the terror group, and looked for ways to join them.
According to the charges, the suspect had solicited the assistance of a person called Mosleh, a member of terror group Al Qaeda, to help him travel to Iraq and Syria, but he couldn't and so preferred to work from here.
"He also transferred amounts of money to Al Qaeda by handing it over to Mosleh," according to the chargesheet.
He promoted and publicised Daesh and Al Qaeda groups and posted pictures of Daesh flag and lectures of Daesh leader Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi online.
He also set up and administered websites and published information about Al Qaeda.
Meanwhile, in another case an Emirati, Mohammed Khalid Mohammed Karama, aged 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for joining terrorist organisation Abu Al Fidaa front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Yemen.
According to court records M.A.S. had taken part and was trained in using traditional weapons and also learnt martial arts while preparing to perpetuate terror crimes in the UAE.
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com