MANILA, 9 May 2006 — Philippine police have arrested a Saudi Arabian man for allegedly beheading the mother of his Filipina wife, police said yesterday.
Senior Police Officer Filipina Manaig said Bander Abdullah Zayad, 35, was apprehended late Saturday as he attempted to flee his wife’s house after allegedly cutting off her mother’s head with a butcher’s knife in Calamba town just outside Manila, police said.
The Saudi national, who has been in the Philippines for several months, was to be charged with the murder of 66-year-old Pacencia Labato Ariaso.
Manaig said the suspect, armed with a kitchen knife, suddenly barged into the bathroom, where the 66-year-old was taking a bath, and attacked her for no apparent reason.
The suspect had been very depressed for several days and had reportedly used all his money, prompting complaints from his wife’s mother, police said.
According to the suspect’s wife, he was having an argument with someone over the phone prior to the incident. She added the suspect was hot-tempered.
