Police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrested a local woman for the gruesome stabbing murder of an American teacher in a shopping mall restroom in Abu Dhabi.  Westerners working in the city are on guard against potential copycat attacks.

"The victim of this brutal crime was a school teacher who was committed to building strong future generations and was known for her dedication to work," said UAE Interior Minister Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, who added that the victim – 47-year old Ibolya Ryan – was killed solely due to her Western nationality. 

Security cameras caught the attacker in a full head-to-toe black abaya entering the mall, going into the women’s restroom, and killing Ryan.  Heading back out to the elevator, witnesses are seen pointing at her.  The cameras also captured the attacker leaving, and more CCTV systems throughout the city allowed police to retrace the path of the attacker, all the way back to her home. 

Cops arrested 38-year old Dalal al Hashemi, and realized that her home was some sort of “base of operations” – although it’s not yet clear with which groups she is affiliated.  Investigators say Hashemi also planted a crude bomb outside the home of an expatriate American doctor, whose children found it and called authorities.

“They dismantled the bomb and identified its primitive components that included small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue and nails to cause maximum injuries when detonated,” said Colonel Dr. Rashid Borshid, head of the criminal investigation unit at Abu Dhabi's police department.