RIYADH, 20 September 2007 — A Saudi young man in his 20s died on Tuesday and two of his brothers were seriously injured when a discarded military canister picked up by the young men exploded in their pickup truck east of the capital.
According to Riyadh police, the incident took place in a desert area near the Al-Natheem district.
Police said the young men were searching for junk material and other metal objects to sell at a junkyard.
The canister is said to have been left in the desert by military forces. “Two of the three brothers were taken to a local hospital. One of them is in intensive care with 50 percent burns to his body,” said Riyadh Police spokesman Maj. Sami Al-Shuwairikh.
He added that police units swept the entire area for additional discarded ordnance. The powerful explosion left their vehicle in a heap of metal scrap. “The investigation is still ongoing,” Al-Shuwairikh added.
Police also announced yesterday that the Criminal Investigation Unit had arrested a man in relation to the kidnap and rape of a 13-year-old boy.
According to a police spokesman, a foreign man reported that his son was abducted by an unknown man and taken to an apartment where he was raped.
The man told the police that his son was beaten with a metal object for resisting the pedophile.
The police were able to gain a description of the man and was able to locate him in a short time. He was taken into custody and formally identified by the young boy.
Police are questioning the man to determine whether he has committed other crimes.
