An American woman who worked as a teacher in Abu Dhabi was stabbed to death at a shopping mall there, USA Today reported.

The incident occurred Monday afternoon in a public restroom, and the attacker was wearing a black robe and full-face veil, according to police. The shopping mall is located on Reem Island in the affluent United Arab emirate.

Witnesses said the teacher and her attacker, who was wearing black gloves and the traditional cloak and face cover worn by many women throughout the Arab Gulf region, were involved in a fight, USA Today added. Police dubbed the robed figure the "Reem Island Ghost," according to NBC News.

Just a few weeks ago, U.S. missions across the Middle East had warned American citizens to exercise caution after an anonymous posting on a jihadist website had called for attacks against teachers at American schools in the Middle East, the network noted.

The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, confirmed Monday's attack and said it was working with "all appropriate authorities" to seek further information on the incident. "There is no information available at this time about the nature of the crime," the U.S. mission said in a statement.

Authorities did not name the teacher but said she was 37 years old. She was taken to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City where she died of her injuries, they said, according to USA Today.

A police spokesman, Col. Rashid Mohammad Borshid, said the veiled woman fled the scene, but officers were able to confiscate the sharp tool used in the attack. He said he did not know what the fight had been about, the newspaper added.

"The police are investigating to uncover the crime's causes and motives and to arrest the culprit," Borshid said.

The victim had 11-year-old twins, the colonel told the newspaper, whom police were looking after until their father arrived in the United Arab Emirates.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, and the largest of the nation's seven emirates. Large numbers of foreigners live and work there, USA Today noted.