TAIF: A Saudi man who was caught blackmailing a girl attacked members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice at a Taif market late Friday.
The girl, who is of an Arab nationality, had complained some time ago that someone had stolen her purse, which had her phone containing her pictures inside. A few days after the incident, the thief called her and began trying to blackmail her saying he has pictures of her and her sister, and that he would distribute them if she did not go out with him.
The girl complained to the commission, which devised a plan to track the man down. When confronted by commission members, the man launched an attack in order to escape. He also telephoned his brother who came to the location and joined in the attack. Police attended the scene and arrested the two men.
In related news, three drunken men tried to assault a highway patrol officer on the Taif-Riyadh highway after he pulled them over for speeding. When the police officer wanted to search the car, the men took out knives and tried to attack the officer, who was able to control the three men until another patrol unit arrived. Alcohol, ammunition and drugs were found inside the car. The three men were transferred to a police station for further investigation.
