MAHAIL ASIR, 28 February — Police in this Southern Region town have arrested a 35-year-old Saudi on charges of killing his father on the eve of Eid Al-Adha.
Muhammad Ali Misfary, 87, was shot dead by his son, Ibrahim, in their native village outside Mahail Asir, allegedly for refusing to intervene in a dispute between the latter and his in-laws.
One of Misfary’s six sons said he had found his brother threaten their father on several occasions. “Last Thursday, which was the Arafat Day, he came to our father and asked him to visit his in-laws to resolve a protracted family dispute,” he said.
The father refused as the two families were not on good terms for more than two years and the case was before the court. Misfary had earlier tried to settle the issue amicably and had spent a lot of money on the case. He had incurred debts in the process, which he paid after drawing from social security benefits, his son explained.
On the eve of Eid Al-Adha, Ibrahim insisted that Misfary visit his in-laws to settle the matter. “If you don’t come with me today, you will face the consequences,” he allegedly told his father.
But nobody ever thought he would kill his aging father, who was fasting that day, the villagers who are yet to recover from their shock told Arab News.
Ali Muhammad Ali, the alleged killer’s eldest brother, said his mother, himself and other family members had tried to stop Ibrahim, but he threatened to shoot them all if they intervened.
The body of Misfary is still in the hospital mortuary awaiting the completion of investigations.
Police mounted a manhunt for the alleged killer, who fled the scene after the crime. A search team headed by Brig. Yahya ibn Ibrahim Bashasha, acting director of police in Mahail Asir, and Maj. Abdullatif Badawi, director of crimes division, tracked him down to the Rawam valley, where he was hiding inside a car.
Ibrahim has three sons and a daughter, who are living with their mother’s family since their parents were divorced.
