He said his government has launched a hunt for those responsible for the death of Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem Al-Ali, adding this was the first time such a crime was committed against a foreign diplomat in his country.
“The whole country feels really sorry for what had happened to a diplomat from a brotherly country such as Saudi Arabia,” the envoy said, adding most Cabinet ministers from his government had conveyed their condolences.
Al-Ali, second secretary at the Saudi Embassy in Bangladesh, was shot by an unidentified man around 2 a.m. while he was walking near his home in Dhaka. Police found Al-Ali’s body at an intersection just two buildings away from his residence in the city’s upmarket Gulshan district and rushed him to a hospital where he died three hours later.
The Saudi government has demanded quick results from the Bangladeshi government and adequate protection for all staff working at its embassy in Dhaka, said a communiqué issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
A senior official from the ministry told Arab News yesterday the Bangladesh government is carrying out a full-scale investigation into the assassination. “It’s an unfortunate incident, and we hope there will be some breakthrough in the search for the killers,” he added.
The diplomat also said arrangements are being made by his ministry to receive the imminent arrival of the body. “We are expecting it to arrive here late Wednesday night,” he said.
On behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani conveyed his heartfelt condolences to Khalid Al-Ali, brother of the deceased.
Al-Ali, 45, was working as second secretary at the consular division of the embassy in Dhaka. He was on transfer orders to move to the Saudi Embassy in Amman after two months. The deceased had been serving in Dhaka for the last two years. Prior to his posting in Bangladesh, he was stationed in Azerbaijan.
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdul Latif Al-Zayani described the killing as a “criminal cowardly act.” In a statement yesterday, he expressed his deep condolences to the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Al-Ali's family and the Saudi people.
Neighboring Qatar strongly denounced the killing of Al-Ali. An official source at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed the country’s condolences to King Abdullah and to the Saudi people. Qatar renewed its firm stance on the rejection of such criminal acts.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni conveyed her deepest sympathies through the Riyadh mission to the family of the deceased. “What has happened is very unfortunate and unexpected in this country,” Moni said in a statement issued in Dhaka following the incident.
Saudi Ambassador in Dhaka Abdullah Al-Busairi, who described the incident as a great tragedy, said the deceased diplomat was an efficient and goodhearted official who was friendly with all his colleagues. His death was a great loss both to the mission and to the country, he added.
According to the ambassador, the house of the deceased is located in a safe area, where residences of other diplomats are also located. He also ruled out any future threats to the mission or to his staff. He said authorities have stepped up security measures in and around the neighborhood where the killing occurred.
