RIYADH: On the instruction of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, two Saudis who were injured in Niger and the bodies of four others arrived at Riyadh air base from Niger in a special air ambulance on Tuesday.
The Saudi tourists were attacked by unidentified assailants in northern Niger on Monday. The six Saudis were traveling with two Malians to Mali and were attacked near the village of Djambala. The wounded were taken to a hospital in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The dead included Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Marri, Hamad bin Saeed Al-Marri, Mohammed bin Faraj Al-Marri and Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Marri. Those wounded were Ziad bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh and Faraj bin Hamad Al-Marri.
Prince Khaled bin Saud, undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, received the dead bodies at the airbase. Prince Khalid conveyed condolences on behalf of the government to the families of the deceased. During a brief speech, the prince said that the government of Niger has not officially clarified what caused the attack. “Investigations are still ongoing to find out what the motive was as well as to bring the criminals to book,” he said.
He added that a Saudi investigation team is to be sent to Niger to assist the Niger police. He added that the Kingdom would also seek the cooperation of Interpol to resolve the issue. He said that although Al-Qaeda is present in that area, there is no proof that the group was involved with them. “It appears to us so far that it was a robbery,” he said.
Niger’s Transport Minister Kassoum Moussa, condemned the attack and offered the country’s condolences to the Saudi government. The police found the two Malians who had been with the Saudis with their hands tied behind their backs in a nearby village. The police have arrested three men and are continuing on their search for the assailants.
