RIYADH, 19 March 2007 — A student in Riyadh on Friday set fire to the car of a school official as he helplessly looked on. The teacher was unable to move as another student pointed a machine gun at him, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
Abdul Aziz Al-Mutlaq, assistant principal at the Saeed ibn Al-Musayyeb School in the West Arija district of Riyadh, speaking to police after the incident, said he believes he was targeted because he had recently reported the students to local police.
Al-Mutlaq said he had seen the two youths, one 20 years old and the other 15, driving at breakneck speed in front of the school on Monday afternoon, posing a serious threat to the safety of pedestrians. When they saw Al-Mutlaq noting down their license plate number, they approached him and threatened to run him over. However, the teacher reported them to police.
During a desert picnic on Friday, Al-Mutlaq was approached by the two youths. One was carrying a machine gun and the other had a can of petrol. They forced him to get out and then set fire to the car. When the students left, the teacher called police, who are currently investigating the matter.
Al-Mutlaq said that he would not be intimidated by the students’ actions and would pursue the case until the culprits were punished.
