Ryan and the doctor based solely on their nationalities and did not know them

Authorities say they believe the woman

A woman suspected of stabbing an American teacher to death in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall has been arrested during a dramatic night-time raid.

The 'face covered' suspect is an Emirati national in her late 30s, said Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, the minister of the interior for the United Arab Emirates, at a press conference on Thursday. Her name was not released.

The woman was wearing a burka when she allegedly stabbed 47-year-old mother-of-two Ibolya Ryan, who once lived in Colorado, in a mall restroom on Reem Island on Monday.

An hour after the stabbing, the suspect then planted a home-made bomb outside the house of a Muslim Egyptian-American doctor, Sheikh Saif said. But the device, which was made of small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue and nails, was successfully dismantled after one of the man's sons found it.

Sheikh Saif added that the woman targeted her victims based solely on their nationality and did not know either of them. He said she 'aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country and terrorize people in the UAE' - although investigations are still continuing into her exact motive.

UAE police have also told ABC News that the suspect was 'not lone wolf' and her house was 'a base of operations'.

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Caught: Footage released by the Abu Dhabi Police on Thursday shows them arresting a woman suspected on stabbing an American mother to death inside a mall restroom on Monday

Dragged away: She is seen being led away in cuffs following the night-time raid on her home

Swoop: A SWAT team can be seen closing in on the house ahead of the arrest

Stopped: The team also found a man inside the home during the raid but he was not arrested

On Thursday, authorities released dramatic video footage showing the suspect's arrest during a night-time raid.

It shows a SWAT team swooping on the home at night and bursting through the front door - forcing a man to the ground at gunpoint and dragging the woman away in handcuffs.

The footage, which was released by Abu Dhabi Police, also shows images of what appear to be home-made bombs at the house, as well as stashes of knives.

There are also shots showing the same white SUV that the suspect was seen driving from the scene of the crime. Blood can be seen on the steering wheel and a black suitcase - identical to the one she allegedly carried to the doctor's apartment - are also shown in the police video.

The teacher was stabbed to death by an attacker wearing the black veil commonly worn by women throughout the Gulf Arab region. Witnesses told MailOnline she was stabbed as many as six times.

Detectives previously released CCTV footage which showed how the suspect lay in wait for the teacher for an hour - which suggested the attack was a targeted murder.

Found: Police also show footage of a vehicle apparently found at the suspect's home. It is draped with a United Arab Emirates Flag - like one the suspect was seen driving from the scene of the crime

Grisly: Inside the vehicle, authorities found blood across the steering wheel, according to the police footage

Cache: They also found an object that appears to be a bomb, left, and found stashes of materials for explosives and knives. Right, the a suitcase that she took to a doctor's house before leaving a bomb

Homemade: Another shot shows what appear to be explosives - and more flags - inside the home

Stash: A photograph shows the contents of the back of the car, including what appear to be matches

Stash: They also apparently found these knives and cooking utensils. An image taken inside the car (above) appears to show they were also in the back of the vehicle when it was discovered

Mrs Ryan, who was Hungarian-born, raised in Romania and trained as a teacher in the U.S., was left in a pool of blood after what police said was a 'brawl' in the toilets of the upmarket Bourik Mall.

As security guards rushed to the scene of the killing, her attacker calmly got in an elevator and walked out into the car park. The assailant left behind the weapon, a large kitchen knife.

She aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country and terrorize people in the UAE Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, the interior minister of the UAE

In the newly-released video, the suspect is then seen heading towards the doctor's home with a small black suitcase. A security guard said he saw her enter and then leave quickly.

The bomb was spotted when the doctor's son was going to mosque in the evening to pray and noticed the strange object in front of the house.

Colonel Rashid Bourshid, head of the criminal investigation department, said: 'The doctor who was targeted with the bomb, 46-year-old MH, informed the security guard about the strange package in front of his door.

'The guard in turn informed the police who rushed to the spot and evacuated the site.

'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.'

Mom: Ibolya Ryan, 47, was the mother of 11-year-old twin boys. She was previously married and lived with her then-husband, Paul, in Denver, Colorado. It is believed Mr Ryan now lives in Europe

Victim: Mrs Ryan, 47, said in online profiles that she was born in Hungary and raised in Romania

It set off alarm bells as a woman wearing a niqab and gloves had called at the house several days earlier to see if the family was home - then fled at top speed before the doctor or his wife could identify her.

She was also seen driving a white SUV with a United Arab Emirates Flag across its back window and had tried to disguise the vehicle's license plates.

'Your brothers at the Ministry of Interior and security forces have worked all night and day to reach this suspect and to identify her, despite all of her attempts to disguise herself,' Sheikh Saif said.

He said the woman was identified in less than 24 hours and arrested in less than 48 hours. It is unclear how authorities were able to identify the suspect.

Separate CCTV footage released by authorities earlier this week showed that the suspect spent at least an hour apparently waiting in the toilets of the mall.

She entered the mall from the car park at 1.12pm and after apparently asking a security guard for directions, headed to the restroom. An hour and a half later she is seen leaving the toilets.

Witnesses told MailOnline that they overheard a heated row between two women and then heard one threaten to kill the other.

On the move: In other newly-released footage, the suspect is seen dragging a small suitcase towards where an Egyptian-American doctor lives. She is accused of leaving a home-made bomb outside his door

Caught on camera: She is seen dragging her small suitcase across the parking lot of the apartment building

On her trail: Footage shows a vehicle apparently driven by the suspect with the flag across its back

Hidden: The woman's license plate was obscured by the flag as well as a bright green paint

Plot: They found a can of green paint, which could have been used to hide the license, among her belongings

Vithi Cuc, a Vietnamese restaurant worker, was in a toilet cubicle when she heard banging sounds from the disabled toilet cubicle next door.

She said: 'Then I heard one of them threatening the other saying: 'Sit down or I'll kill you'.' I heard one of them try to call out for help. By this time there were three of us outside the toilet and one of us ran to get security.

'When the female guard arrived they told us to leave the bathroom. I was so scared and frightened for her.'

Another witness said he saw a woman bleeding on the floor outside the entrance to Waitrose, the upscale British supermarket nearest the toilets in the mall.

Bernadette Ruizo, manager of La Brioche restaurant near the scene of the murder, said: 'I heard she was stabbed five or six times.

'None of us knows exactly what happened as it was so busy in the restaurant. There was a crowd around the toilet entrance and I only found out afterwards what had happened.'

Attack: In footage that was released earlier this week, the suspect can be seen entering the mall at 1.13p

Asking directions? The suspect approaches a security guard after getting out of the elevator

On the CCTV footage, people on the scene can be seen reacting to the killing. One mother with a young child can be seen hurrying him away while security guards move towards the corridor.

She then calmly goes down to the parking garage and is last seen moving towards cars in it.

In new footage released on Thursday, the suspect can be seen walking towards a parking lot of vehicles while dragging a small dark suitcase on wheels, although it is not clear when this was taken.

She then apparently drives off in a white SUV draped with the flag.

The victim - who is divorced from the father of the twins - described herself in an online profile as a teacher at a large kindergarten called Al Oula in Abu Dhabi, 35 minutes away from the downtown area of the emirate.

She had previously lived in Denver, Colorado, where she worked as a special educational needs teacher and took a course in teaching English as a foreign language.

Horror: The murder weapon was found near the woman's body where it had been abandoned by her killer

Find: The CCTV footage shows how the knife was found directly under a door in the toilets

Trail of blood: The crime scene was covered in the victim's blood in images revealed by police in Abu Dhabi

Frenzy: The scene of crime shows the bloody horror in which the American mom died

She has also worked as an executive assistant at a Colorado technology company, an event planner at a Hungarian hotel, a substitute teacher at the American International School in Vienna, and a part-time events planner in Abu Dhabi.

She wrote: 'I enjoy learning about other cultures, and as a person I enjoy being with others and tend to be an organizer of those around me.

'Also I have high interest in other languages; one of my goals while here in the UAE is to gain some proficiency in Arabic.

'I live in Abu Dhabi with my 10-year-old twin boys and I teach in a big KG school named Al Oula KG School, 35 minutes away from downtown Abu Dhabi.'

The victim's ex-husband, Paul, was said to be overseas but was flying back to comfort his sons.

Mrs Ryan lived in a beachside apartment on Reem Island, where the mall where she was murdered is situated. Her ex-husband is believed to currently live in Europe.

After her murder, America's embassy in Abu Dhabi issued new security advice to US citizen.

After the crime: People appear to be alerted to something happening in the toilets and while a security guard moves along the corridor into them, the suspect moves towards the elevators

Calm departure: The suspect is standing directly between the elevators after almost colliding with another woman to her left, who is wearing a white top. Onlookers (right) are reacting in horror to the discovery

Last seen: The burqa-clad suspect's last sighting on CCTV as 'she' moves quickly out of the mall

Warning: What teachers in Abu Dhabi were told a month ago by the US Embassy to the United Arab Emirates. It said jihadi websites wanted American teachers to be attacked.

SECURITY ADVICE TO US CITIZENS Avoid large crowds or gatherings of unknown origin or circumstances when traveling in public; Know where you are going and have a plan of what to do in the event you encounter demonstrations or violence; Identify safe areas (for example police stations, hospitals) in your area and how to get to them quickly; Tell co-workers or neighbors where you're going and when you intend to return;Minimize your profile while in public; Always carry a cell phone and make sure you have emergency numbers pre-programmed into your phone such as the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and U.S. Consulate General in Dubai; Be prepared to postpone or cancel activities for personal safety concerns. Source: US Embassy in Abu Dhabi Advertisement

In a statement, the embassy said: 'On December 1, a U.S. citizen was killed in a public restroom at a shopping mall on Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. The U.S. Embassy is working with all the appropriate authorities to seek further information.'

It listed extra precautions for US citizens, saying they should avoid crowds and places they did not know previously, and 'minimize their profile in public'.

The embassy did not say it was linked the murder to the jihadi threat, which was highlighted to American citizens at the end of October in a statement on the embassy website.

It said: 'The Embassy/Consulate wishes to notify the U.S. citizen community of a recent anonymous posting on a Jihadist website that encouraged attacks against teachers at American and other international schools in the Middle East.

'The Mission is unaware of any specific, credible threat against any American or other school or individual in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

'Nonetheless, the Mission is working with local schools identified with the United States to review their security posture. U.S. citizens residing in or visiting the UAE should remain vigilant regarding their personal security and be alert to local security developments.'

Scene: The crime scene. The elevator in the center of the picture is how the suspect fled, and the advertising hoarding is in front of the entrance to the mall toilets where the murder took place

New: The mall where the attack took place opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants. It caters for a mix of expatriates and wealthy locals

Reem Island is a residential, commercial and business development connected to Abu Dhabi city centre by a bridge. It was built as the city center became over-populated.

It is mostly inhabited by expatriates and boasts the upmarket Boutik Mall, which opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants, including the capital city's first Waitrose, the upscale British supermarket chain, Leopold's of London and La Brioche.

The mall bridges two residential buildings, Sun and Sky towers. Its website says it 'offers the best of everything that anyone needs to lead a stylish life.

'Serving the vibrant and cosmopolitan community of Shams Abu Dhabi and beyond, Boutik is an oasis of independent retailers, brand outlets, comfortable cafes and day-to-day services.

'For busy professionals living and working in the adjoining towers and for students at the Sorbonne, it is a welcome social centre and cornerstone of the community.'

Although Abu Dhabi is not the largest emirate - Dubai has the biggest population - it has an estimated 40,000 American expatriates.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: IS ALLY IN TERROR WAR NOW UNSAFE? Until now, the United Arab Emirates – and particularly its capital Abu Dhabi, and economic powerhouse Dubai – have been regarded as the safest part of the Middle East for Westerners. If Mrs Ryan is a victim of jihadis, she is the first American to die as a result of Islamic terrorism in the Emirates. Unlike their larger neighbour, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates have so far managed to keep al Qaeda and other Islamic terror groups at bay and maintain close alliances with the West. The UAE is currently home to one significant American military unit – the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing – and Dubai is used as a transfer point to Afghanistan by military personnel. The Emirates are close allies of the US and its airforce's F-16s were among the first to join the international effort to blast ISIS. Military authorities proudly published pictures of the country's first female pilot preparing her aircraft. But there was a backlash which may be an ominous sign of the tensions inside the UAE - which have no functioning democracy and where rapid economic expansion has gone hand-in-hand with a conservative legal and social system – as the female pilot was threatened on social media. In fact there have been growing signs in recent months of those tensions. In June seven men were jailed after being arrested the previous year over an alleged plot to attack targets in the Emirates. Since then, embassies have consistently issued security warnings to Westerners with the latest today in the wake of Mrs Ryan's murder. The most specific of all the warnings was that issued in October to teachers by the American embassy. But security experts believe that Islamic militants are likely to target Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other five Emirates not just because of their alliances and actions against ISIS but because of their economic success and their vast non-Muslim populations. There are are 1.4 million Emiratis and largely open borders mean there are 7.8 million expatriates. Among those are an estimated 40,000 Americans, mostly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and now clearly seen as potential targets by their own embassy. Advertisement



