Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a 37-year-old American teacher in a bathroom of an upscale mall in Abu Dhabi on Monday

M.N.: The suspect on the video exhibits male posture, gate and the pattern of movements. 

Police investigate the mysterious stabbing death of an American teacher in an Abu Dhabi bathroom

Wednesday December 3rd, 2014 at 7:20 PM

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Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a 37-year-old American teacher in a bathroom of an upscale mall in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Abu Dhabi police released video footage Wednesday of a suspect wearing a traditional black abaya, which covers the entire body, and a niqab covering the face except for the eyes, as the person enters and flees the Boutik Mall before and after the incident.

DISCRETION ADVISED: Security footage released by the Abu Dhabi police shows a suspect entering and exiting the mall. It includes some images of the crime scene.

An American kindergarten teacher was stabbed to death in a mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE, according to Abu Dhabi Interior Ministry. The police released a surveillance video showing a suspect wearing a full black veil commonly worn by local women throughout the Arab Gulf region. (YouTube/theabudhabipolice)

The woman, who has not been identified, was a nursery school teacher, according to Agence France Presse. She has 11-year-old twins who are temporarily in police custody until her ex-husband arrives to care for them, Abu Dhabi news organization  the National reported.

"Investigations are still under way to identify the suspect's identity and gender," a police statement said, according to Reuters.  "Witnesses reported that the culprit was fully covered wearing an abaya, black gloves and face cover."

The attack came after a fight broke out between the suspect and the woman, said Col. Rashid Borshid, head of the Criminal Investigation Department, in a statement, according to CBS News.

"The Abu Dhabi Police will spare no effort in order to unveil this heinous crime and bring the culprit to justice," Borshid said in the statement.

According to the National, a witness who worked in the mall, Vithi Cuc, heard one person threaten, "‘Sit down or I'll kill you.' " And she said another person called out for help.

The woman died after being taken to a hospital. According to Reuters, police said that she was stabbed with a "sharp tool." Video released along with the surveillance footage shows images of the bloody scene, including a large, bloody knife. The Washington Post could not independently confirm the veracity of the video.

The use of security camera footage in public places is very common in the UAE. In 2010, CCTV footage played a role in the investigation of the killing of Hamas commander  Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

Random crime is rare in the UAE, but there are regular reports of stabbings and violence among the large expat community, particularly with the South Asian workers, who mostly work in construction. Often the crimes are linked to debts and underground activity such as alcohol smuggling.

Like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, is a popular city for Westerners and Americans. The mall is on Reem Island, an upscale area undergoing extensive development as part of the expanded city.

And at a time when the U.S. and other countries, including the UAE, are stepping up airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the stabbing has raised concerns that it may be terror-related.

According to AFP, the Dec. 1 incident came on the same day that an Islamic State spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, incited attacks against Westerners.

And in October, the U.S. Embassy and the UAE posted a statement saying that a call for attacks on American teachers in the region was posted on a jihadist Web forum, but there was no credible evidence that there was a plot afoot, according to Reuters.

Brian Murphy contributed to this report.