7 Days

Dubai, Dec 29: A man tried to commit suicide by setting the van he was driving alight after threatening to kill two of his compatriots, a Dubai court heard yesterday. The suspect’s bid only failed because, it is alleged, he decided he could not take the heat once he had set the vehicle on fire and

jumped out of it before it exploded. The court was told that the three men, the defendant and the two victims, were on a trip together when the suspect asked one of the men to lend him some money.

“He sat behind me and asked me to give him dhs10,000 as a loan because he entered illegally in the country. I told him I didn't have the money,” said one of the victims. “When I looked at him he pulled a knife out and held it to my throat, so my friend stopped the car.”The suspect then threatened to kill the two friends and told them to drive him to Al-Awir, but they told him they had to stop for petrol first. At the petrol station, the pair escaped and ran to tell the police. When officers arrived they said the suspect had poured fuel over the van, and proceeded in his botched suicide attempt. The trial has now been adjourned until next month.