UAE forensic expert released from jail

A leading UAE forensic doctor accused of supplying an ambulance to a Somalia terrorist group has been freed from prison.

Dr Mohammad Ali ElHassan said he didn’t know the court had set him free until a prison officer at Al Watba prison in Abu Dhabi told him to pack up his belongings.

He took a taxi to his brother Tariq’s home. “My mother opened the door and she was speechless,” ElHassan said. “She just stood here in silence for a few moments before she realised what was happening.”

ElHassan, 43, who, as a Department of Justice senior forensics specialist, had given evidence at some of the biggest murder trials in the UAE, was one of four men accused of exporting an ambulance and IV drips to Somalian group Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen.

ElHassan was arrested last September along with his cousin, who was staying at his home. The cousin was the owner of the company that exported the ambulance. The cousin’s former business partner and another man, who earned a commission in the sale, were also arrested.

ElHassan’s lawyer had argued in court that his client had nothing to do with the sale and that selling medical equipment is not a crime under UAE or international law.

The other three men are still in custody and a decision in their case is expected in the next few weeks.

ElHassan had spent nine months in jail. The formal outcome of his case will also be announced in the coming weeks.

sean@7days.ae