U.A.E. woman sentenced to death in killing of American teacher

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, June 29 (UPI) -- A United Arab Emirates woman was sentenced to death Monday for the December 2014 killing of an American woman in Abu Dhabi.

Ibola Ryan, 47, a kindergarten teacher, was stabbed to death in a shopping mall restroom. Al'a Al Hashemi was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death by the Federal Supreme Court, a statement on the Emirates' Wam news website said.

Hashemi was also found guilty of placing an explosive device, which did not detonate, at the door of an American doctor who is a former Egyptian citizen, after leaving the shopping mall.

The court relied on closed-circuit television footage of Hashemi waiting for an hour near the restroom, followed by Ryan's arrival, in what Emerati officials called a "personal terror attack," avoiding suggestions of more typical terrorist activities for fear of harming the country's image as a haven for investment and its freedom, thus far, from sectarian and nationalist violence. The United Arab Emirates are regarded as a staunch U.S. ally.

Hashemi testified in court she suffered from hallucinations, although a medical committee examined her and testified she was responsible for her actions at the time of the crime.