QATIF, 27 August 2006 — The body of Hussein Yousif Al-Zubail was interned yesterday after arriving from Ukraine on Thursday. Al-Zubail, the father of three children, was in his 30s. He was killed when he was attacked by a group of assailants on a street in Kiev shortly after leaving a restaurant.
Al-Zubail and his friend Musaed Al-Guraifi, a Kuwaiti, arrived late to meet four other friends at the restaurant. The friends were exiting the establishment while the other two were going in. They agreed to meet each other later at a cafe, but Al-Zubail and Al-Guraifi never arrived.
Ali Al-Haik, one of the four friends, called Al-Guraifi on his mobile and was informed that the two were assaulted as they were leaving the eatery.
One of the people who stopped to assist was a Jordanian doctor who prevented Al-Zubail from choking on his tongue as the ambulance arrived. The two men were taken to separate hospitals because Al-Zubail was in a more critical condition and required emergency treatment. Al-Guraifi suffered mild head trauma.
According to Al-Haik, a group of Ukrainian women got into an argument with nearby police officers who allegedly did nothing to stop the assault or to help the two men. Al-Zubail succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
The embassies of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have pressured Ukrainian authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter. One suspect has been arrested but no motive was disclosed. The assault may have been a hate crime, as no valuables were stolen from the two men.
