RIYADH: A Filipino nurse was assaulted by a mentally ill man armed with a knife at the National Guard Hospital’s emergency ward here on Friday evening.
A witness, on condition of anonymity, said the assailant was aged between 18 and 20, and arrived at the hospital in his own car with his face covered with his head scarf.
He added that the knifeman exited his car and entered the emergency ward where he grabbed the nurse and attempted to slit her throat with a knife. The young man was quickly apprehended by military police who were on duty at the hospital and then handed to police.
The witness added that the man wanted to kill the nurse because she was wearing makeup and said he would return when released. The nurse is in stable condition and recovering at the hospital’s VIP ward.
Police said the young man has a long history of drug abuse. They added that he is mentally unstable and will be made to under go psychiatric tests.
The knifeman’s father is a National Guard officer who lives in the National Guard Hospital’s compound.
The witness added that contrary to newspaper reports, the incident was not a long drawn affair, but was handled and dealt with quickly and diligently.
The National Guard Hospital’s media affairs department had no comments regarding the incident.
