BEIRUT, Lebanon – Dubai police are investigating the murder of a Lebanese singer in the Emirates, and authorities in Lebanon have asked Interpol for help in the grisly case that involved decapitation of the Arab pop star.
The body of Suzan Tamim was discovered Monday in her apartment in the Dubai Marina area by a cousin and a police officer. The relative called the police after being unable to reach the singer, according to a police official in Dubai's nearby Jebel Ali district.
It remains unclear when the murder happened.
Newspapers in Lebanon on Friday carried a statement by the office of the Lebanese justice minister, Ibrahim Najjar, saying that Lebanon has decided to ask Interpol in Dubai for assistance.
The Jebel Ali police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on, said Tamim was stabbed in different parts of her body and decapitated. He added that it appeared she had tried to resist the attacker. The singer was 31 years old.
On Thursday, a senior official from the Dubai police's Criminal Investigation Department said detectives were questioning several people in the case. The senior official also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason. Once the investigation was over, a news conference would provide more information, he said.
Tamim stopped singing about a year ago and moved to Dubai earlier this year, according to Lebanese media, which had reported there was discord between the singer and her husband, Adel Maatouk.
Maatouk issued a statement this week, saying the couple's disagreements and judicial disputes took place in an atmosphere of "respect."
In the statement, carried by several Lebanese papers, including the Al-Balad daily, Maatouk said he wanted his wife to stop singing and devote her time to the family after their marriage. He claimed Tamim's family told her not to listen to him and to leave his house.
Despite his objections to her leaving the country, he said that she left Lebanon against his will and that her family bears the responsibility for what happened to her.
Tamim's apartment in the Emirates is in a complex of five residential towers along Dubai's seafront that has guards and security cameras. Residents use security cards at the buildings' main entrances but it is possible to enter through the parking area without passing through any security.
Thousands of Lebanese live in the Gulf tourist and business hub of Dubai.
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