JEDDAH, 3 October — A group of Africans living illegally in downtown Jeddah killed a policeman and wounded three others during a security crackdown on illegal residents in the city.
The policeman, identified as Sgt. Ali Tami Al-Aseeri, died on Tuesday of wounds to the head when some 50 car cleaners attacked police with metal objects, bottles and rocks, Okaz reported.
Police reinforcements who rushed to the scene overpowered the cleaners and arrested dozens of them, the paper added.
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has set up a committee to investigate the incident. The governor praised the valor shown by the security officers in fighting criminals.
The Arabic daily said the mob of illegals also destroyed a police bus during the confrontation. “Security agencies were later able to control the situation,” the paper said.
Maj. Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, director of police in the Makkah region, and Brig. Saleh Al-Olayan, director of Jeddah police, were following up on the incident.
Abdu Mohammed Isa Aseeri, uncle of the dead policeman, told Okaz that Aseeri died while raiding a hideout of illegal residents, along with seven other police officers.
During the confrontation with the illegals, Aseeri fell unconscious and was taken to Bakhsh Hospital where he died after three days, added.
The policeman’s body was buried at Faisaliya Graveyard. High-ranking police officers in Jeddah conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.
Aseeri is married with three children — Mohammed, Moayyed and Safiya — aged between three and eight. They are living in a rented house.
Tami Aseeri, father of the dead officer, pointed out that Aseeri had taken part in the war to liberate Kuwait while he was working for the armed forces.
Thousands of illegal foreigners are arrested by Saudi police every year and deported to their home countries. A majority of those enter the Kingdom on Haj and Umrah visas.
There are about seven million foreigners living in the Kingdom, which has a total population of 22 million.
The government has launched a campaign to reduce the number of expatriate workers in the country by hiking fees on recruitment of foreign manpower and offering incentives to Saudis to work in the private sector.
