According to a report in Sunday’s Al-Riyadh newspaper, Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Dowaihi and his family had a miraculous escape when an armed gang shot at them during a carjacking. Al-Dowaihi complained that the Saudi Embassy in Damascus has failed to respond to his plea for help.
In an earlier report, Al-Riyadh newspaper addressed a spate of recent attacks on Saudis in Syria, including the gun attack on lawyer Bataa Al-Shamri. He was hospitalized after being shot in Syria where he had gone to spend his summer vacation. His fate was unknown.
Another Saudi was seriously wounded in a similar attack in that country a month ago. That victim later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment following his transfer to the Kingdom.
The Al-Dowaihis, the victims of the latest attack, are from Hautat Sudair, about 140 km north of Riyadh. Al-Dowaihi was driving his wife and six children on their way back from holidays in Syria when they were fired upon and robbed of the vehicle.
According to the father, a Lexus with Qatar plates carrying young men pulled up to them in a Damascus suburb. They appeared to be waving the family down to stop. “I refused to stop and sped up,” Al-Dowaihi told the newspaper. “Then they chased us and fired at our vehicle.”
Al-Dowaihi also noticed that another car with Syrian plates was also chasing them. The two vehicles managed to force the Saudi father to stop after using one of the vehicles to block the road.
“The thugs pointed a pistol in my face and ordered us to get out of the vehicle,” said Al-Dowaihi. “After forcing us out, they took the vehicle and fled. Before driving away, they fired toward my foot to create panic and fright among my family members.”
He said the Syrian police managed to find the Qatar-registered vehicle to learn it was stolen after the owner was tied up.
Al-Dowaihi said the Saudi Embassy in Damascus did not help his family.
“When I contacted the embassy on Thursday morning, seeking help to facilitate our trip to Riyadh, the response was disappointing,” he said. “Their reply was that they would give me 25,000 Syrian lira (about SR2,000) to help pay for the road trip. I refused the offer and sent the family on board a flight at my own expense.”
Reacting to the incident, Fawaz Al-Shaalan, minister plenipotentiary and chargé d’affaires at the Saudi Embassy in Damascus, confirmed that Al-Dowaihi’s complaint was registered at the embassy.
“We are in contact with the Syrian security authorities on the issue. The embassy has taken such incidents very seriously and is following up the matter with the Syrian authorities,” he added.
