A "mentally unstable" Nigerian man in his early 30s turned on his Iranian neighbor and his own eight-month-old son, stabbing them repeatedly, before knifing himself to death in the Springs 11 gated community on Thursday.
The Iranian man sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment with the assailant’s son.
Police said the Nigerian suffered from clinical depression and his condition took a turn for the worse after he was put on medication by a psychiatrist. Major-General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation at the Dubai Police, said the man had some ‘‘mental problem’’.
His wife, who is in her twenties, said her husband ran a business and had recently planned to go back to Nigeria after facing some financial problems.
He had shipped his furniture and booked his tickets to go back. However, he became very depressed of late and went to a psychiatrist who gave him some medicines. He became more nervous and hysteric after taking the medicines, she said. She said she informed the doctor about his deteriorating condition, and the latter advised them to make him stop taking the drugs, an advice which he preferred not to heed.
Around 11am on Thursday, the man became very nervous and started arguing with his wife and tried to snatch the child from her. She resisted as he was carrying a knife. She ran to the house of their Iranian neighbour but her husband followed her there.
When the neighbour tried to stop him, he stabbed the Iranian who ran down the street followed by his assailant. A taxi driver saw them and distracted the man and the Iranian managed to escape.
The Nigerian then slashed his stomach, chest, hands and legs till he collapsed, bled and died. Police and emergency services who arrived on the scene were late to save the man but managed to transport his victims to hospital.
