JIZAN, 18 October 2007 — Following a tragic standoff in a farmhouse, police in the southern Jizan region have arrested a 30-year-old Yemeni sheepherder for attempted rape, double homicide and assault, according to a report in the online Arabic-language newspaper Sabq yesterday.
The incident occurred at the Masawdah village near Ardah in the Jizan region.
The man, whose name was not given, allegedly threatened a 17-year-old girl from a neighbor’s house at gunpoint asking her to come into his house. Hearing the girl’s cries, her father came out and was shot by the gunman, police said.
The girl’s 14-year-old sister was also injured when the suspect allegedly opened fire on the father, though she survived the attack and is the key witness to the incident.
The shepherd allegedly had taken possession of a Kalashnikov rifle used by his employer to ward off predators of sheep.
After the shooting, the suspect forced the girl into his home with an intention to rape her, police said. Responding to the gunfire, police arrived at the scene that turned into a hostage situation.
The newspaper reported, citing police sources, that the man threatened to rape the girl, then kill her and commit suicide. Police said they were negotiating with the man when they heard gunfire; they arrested the man, but he had already shot the girl dead.
The younger sister is recuperating at King Fahd Hospital in Jizan. The suspect is in police custody.
