MAKKAH, 10 September 2007 — A land grabber in the Al-Shawqiah municipality of Makkah stabbed and wounded a municipal secretary yesterday because the official had directed the evacuation of illegal settlements on government land.
Abdullah Al-Zayedi, accompanied by other members of the Anti-Encroachment Committee appointed by the municipality, was working on the Crown Prince Plot south of Makkah when the assailant attacked him with a knife and wounded his left hand. The official was rushed to Al-Noor Hospital in Makkah where he was operated upon and is now in a stable condition.
The Anti-Encroachment Committee was dismantling an illegal farm in an area of 50,000 square meters run by a Saudi who simply occupied the government-owned land. The committee had earlier notified the Saudi and other encroachers to vacate the land so that it could be distributed to eligible citizens.
The municipality also ordered those who refused to vacate the land to produce evidence in support of their claims. However, the encroacher-turned-assailant did not heed the municipal instructions and founded a large farm on public land.
When the committee proceeded to clear the area of illegal occupants, the man demanded that they stop their operations immediately. When Al-Zayedi told him that they had to obey government orders, the man pulled a knife and began to stab the official. The assailant also used the knife to threaten the other officials who tried to help their colleague. The assailant fled the scene while the wounded man was taken to hospital.
Police say that the unidentified assailant lives in Al-Husseiniah town.
Reacting to the report, Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Barr said, “Attacks on municipal officials carrying out their duty will not be tolerated and my office will take steps to guarantee the safety of officials who are responsible for demolishing encroachments on public lands.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of Al-Shawqiah Municipality Muhammad Taha Fakieh asked the Makkah police to send sufficient numbers of policemen to protect the Anti-Encroachment Committee as it does its job.
The absence of security personnel obviously exposed committee members to dangerous situations, he pointed out.
