DAMMAM, 14 May 2004 — Dammam police have arrested a 14-year-old Egyptian boy on the charge of murdering his three-year-old neighbor, an Egyptian girl, whose body was found with multiple stab wounds at King Abdul Aziz Park near Jalawiyah area on May 7.
Eastern Province Police Chief, Gen. Abdul Aziz Al-Baadi said the boy, Ahmad Abdul Munji, was taken to the police station for questioning and later admitted to the crime.
The boy’s neighbors said he was a very polite and intelligent boy.
A reconstruction of the event and information supplied by the victim’s uncle and neighbors, led police to believe the boy had taken three-year-old Wala Badiya from her house.
According to Ahmad Fahim, the girl’s uncle, Wala’s mother was sitting on the terrace with a neighbor when she asked Wala to bring a glass of water from inside.
“That was around 8 p.m.,” Fahim said. When the child did not return, the mother went to find her.
After an hour of searching, she reported the missing child to the police.
Al-Baadi said that the police questioned more than 30 people regarding the murder, which sent panic waves through the community.
The police picked up the boy for questioning after discovering he was a regular visitor to the Badiya family.
During the interrogation, the boy had admitted to killing the child and said he killed the girl because her father was a very strict man who had also hit him.
He said he was also angry because he thought that Wala used to steal his toys.
The victim’s uncle said that the mother was distraught but insisted on meeting the arrested boy.
“She wants to hear from him why he killed her baby.”
He said that Wala’s mother vowed not to leave the Kingdom before the killer of her child is punished according to the Shariah.
The parents of the arrested boy have moved from their apartment to an undisclosed location.
The police said that the results of a medical examination on the victim showed she was not sexually assaulted.
