Spokesman for Makkah police Lt. Col. Abdul Mohsen Al-Maiman said the Saudi heard sounds in his home on the first floor of a four-story building, so he went to check holding his pistol. When he discovered an African burgling the property, he opened fire.

“The Saudi started firing at the thief until he killed him,” the spokesman added.

He said the man called police. “When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim lying dead holding some electronic equipment,” Al-Maiman said.

He said the body was examined by a forensic doctor and kept at the morgue in King Faisal General Hospital in Makkah.

The citizen was arrested and handed over to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission for further investigations.

The spokesman said a judge would decide whether the man opened fire in self-defense or not.

Lawyer Muhammad Nihar said anyone defending himself and his family against an intruder would be considered to be acting in self-defense.

The lawyer said it was left to the judge’s discretion to decide if the killing was in cold blood or self-defense.

He said police would collect evidence for the PIC, which will collate it along with investigation results for the court.