MAKKAH: A Saudi security officer was shot dead and another injured while apprehending a Saudi man who was in possession of drugs near the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Saturday morning.
“Security officer Abdou Muhammad Al-Fahmi died on the spot from two shots, one to the head and another to the neck, while Sgt. Sami Aidhah Al-Muwalad received a bullet in his right shoulder,” said police spokesman Maj. Abdul Mohsen Al-Maiman.
He added that the two undercover security officers stopped the man in the area around the Grand Mosque near the SAPTCO bus station and asked to see his identity card, suspecting he had illegal items in the bag he was carrying.
“On searching him, the two officers found hashish and tried to arrest him at which the man took out a handgun and fired,” said Al-Maiman. “He then tried running away on foot down a nearby alley but was caught and taken to Ajyad police station.”
Al-Maiman said the man would be questioned and that his case would then be handed over to the Prosecution and Investigation Board. He will appear in court on the charge of first-degree murder.
The brother of the dead officer, Mahdi Muhammad Al-Fahmi, said his brother joined the security forces around 10 years ago and that he had just returned to duty after a short vacation.
He added that he has left behind an 18-month-old daughter, Namar.
Dr. Hatim Al-Amri, director of Al-Nour Hospital, said the injured sergeant was stable and would be discharged in the next few days.
