JEDDAH, 25 November 2005 — A Saudi navy officer caused the death of three young men when he went for a joyride in a residential area in the north of the city, Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, reported.
Col. Mohammad Al-Qahtani, head of the Traffic Department in Jeddah, said the three young men were with the officer in his car when the accident took place. The officer, joyriding in Al-Falah District, has been arrested. He is allegedly one of the most famous joyriders and is known as ‘Abu Cap’.
“I demand most severe punishment for this person,” said Badr ibn Feihan, the father of two of the dead teenagers aged 14 and 15.
He said: “My two sons had called me saying they would be having dinner at the beach and then they would come home. And then I received a call from their mother saying they met with an accident and that they were both in the Saudi German Hospital. I rushed to the hospital and found them dead.”
The two were students at Fajr Al-Islam Private School. Abdulaziz, 14 was in 8th grade while Ahmad, 15 was in 9th grade.
The navy officer confessed to the crime saying he was responsible for the death of the three teenagers. He also admitted in front of police that he had been joyriding for many years in unpopulated areas.
The accident happened when he was driving at the speed of 120 kilometers per hour and applied the brake to make the car spin.
