JEDDAH, 18 February 2003 — An unidentified gunman shot dead the deputy governor of the northern Jouf region yesterday in the second such incident in six months, a source said.
Hamad ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Wardi, 50, was driving to work early in the morning when his car was riddled with gunfire. He died immediately. The official said the authorities were investigating the incident. The motive for the shooting was not known.
The source said the shooting incident occurred at 6.45 a.m. Born in Sakaka in 1952, Wardi was a well-known Saudi academic who had worked at various government departments including the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. He was appointed deputy governor in January 1999.
