Dubai: An Uzbek woman entered a Dubai government office and threatened to blow herself up with her five-year-old son leading to a 13-hour standoff which ended on Monday when she was arrested with a fake explosive belt.
The woman entered the Dubai Public Prosecution headquarters at noon yesterday and she threatened to blow herself up if she did not receive help to end a personal dispute to prove the fatherhood of her child, an official statement said.
"The matter was successfully resolved and it turned out that the Uzbek woman was wearing a fake explosive belt," Dubai police tweeted after they reached a breakthrough in the negotiations with the Uzbek woman at 1 am (local time).
The woman entered the building yesterday wanting to meet senior officials to explain her plight.
The woman, wearing an explosive belt that later turned out to be fake, then threatened to blow up herself and her 5-year-old son, the Khaleej Times reported.
"Dubai Police immediately evacuated the building and the surrounding area taking all precautionary measures to secure the place and ensure the safety of all individuals who are in the vicinity of the building," the statement said.
"Preliminary assessment of the incident shows that the woman resorted to this extreme action in an attempt to attract attention and win sympathy that may help her put an end to this family dispute," the statement said.
She had previously visited the prosecution headquarters several times and that problems with her husband drove her to this desperate act, sources were quoted as saying by the paper.
A picture of the evacuated building main hall was circulated by an unknown source after the incident was first reported. It was the first such incident in the Gulf emirate.
PTI
