JEDDAH, 10 March 2005 — Muhammad Daleem Al-Qahtani, a Saudi reformist, has shot dead his 17-year-old son Abdullah at his house in the southern city of Khamis Mushayt. The motive of the murder was unknown.
Brig. Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman of the Interior Ministry, confirmed the killing of Abdullah by his father on Tuesday and said security agents were questioning Al-Qahtani.
Police arrested the killer soon after receiving information about the shooting incident. They saw the body of Abdullah in a pool of blood as three bullets had hit his chest.
Al-Qahtani, 43, recently appeared on Al-Jazeera satellite TV channel talking about reforms in the Kingdom. He has served jail sentences a number of times before for security issues.
Al-Qahtani reportedly told the security agents that he shot his son dead following a family dispute.
Earlier, he refused to admit the murder and said his son might have died while playing with the gun. But during the course of investigation he broke down and acknowledged the crime.
People in the neighborhood informed police after they heard gunfire.
The murder has sent shockwaves among the residents of Khamis Mushayt, a hilly township close to the resort city of Abha. The incident is the talk of the town among Saudis all over the Kingdom.
