UAE woman jihadist executed for murder of American teacher

A female jihadist who murdered an American woman in the toilets of a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi has been executed. Alaa Bader al Hashemi, 30, was put to death at dawn for the murder of Iboyla Ryan, a 47-year-old nursery school teacher from Colorado, state media reported. Hashemi, from the United Arab Emirates, stabbed mother-of-twins Ms Ryan in the UAE capital in December last year, a court ruled last month. President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan approved the death sentence which was issued at the end of the trial.

(She) embraced jihadist ideology and then engaged in terrorist acts in support of terrorist organisations.

UAE authorities

Hashemi was tracked down after CCTV footage showed her going in and out of the restroom where Ms Ryan’s murder took place. Footage released soon after the attack showed a figure, in full black veil, entering the mall shortly after 1pm and then rushing from the ladies’ toilets as shoppers scrambled for the exit. Police found blood on the steering wheel of Hashemi’s car and bomb-making material inside.

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