FRANKFURT: Saudi families who were in Munich during the shooting that killed nine people last Friday have narrated the dreadful event in stark detail.
Saudis who were held up at the scene included two newlywed couples who were on a tour inside the commercial center when the shooting happened. The Saudi families live near where the incident occurred. They thanked the Saudi Embassy in Berlin for dealing with the incident professionally.
Abdulnasser Al-Kharief, one of those at the scene of shooting, told a local newspaper about the harrowing time he and his family experienced. “My eight-member family and I were inside the mall at the time of the incident, and we saw everything, from running, screaming, pushing, till we hid in one of the shops at the end of the mall and then in a warehouse that overlooks the car park (the place where the armed man was firing from.”
He added: “It was a room in a warehouse which was one meter by 5 meters, and held 13 people. We shut the door behind us and kept hearing screaming and shooting amid police siren blaring. We communicated directly with Saudi Ambassador in Berlin Awad Al-Awad, who had been following up on the incident since the beginning.”
He said after four hours they were allowed to leave the mall after German police secured the area and started evacuating people.
Al-Kharief said the mall was full of families, including those from the Gulf and other Arab countries. He said the Saudi ambassador contacted them directly within minutes of the incident and told them to provide him with the developments that led to the shooting incident. Then the Saudi families were evacuated and kept in a safe place and gave eyewitness accounts to the German police.
Saudi tourist in Germany Ali Al-Khayaar spoke of the last moments experienced by the families held hostage inside the center and those near the scene. “We were very near the scene and lived moments of terror as the police surrounded the place and stopped the movement of traffic and transport. We were then hosted by the embassy till late at night.” He added the Saudi diplomats worked hard to help them.
The Saudi Embassy in Germany announced on the night of the incident that the ambassador was personally monitoring the situation of Saudi citizens after the attack in the city. The ambassador was in constant contact with the Saudi nationals who were at the site. He added that nine families were evacuated from the scene to safe places and the embassy called on all to stay at home and away from any gatherings.
Saudis who were held up at the scene included two newlywed couples who were on a tour inside the commercial center when the shooting happened. The Saudi families live near where the incident occurred. They thanked the Saudi Embassy in Berlin for dealing with the incident professionally.
Abdulnasser Al-Kharief, one of those at the scene of shooting, told a local newspaper about the harrowing time he and his family experienced. “My eight-member family and I were inside the mall at the time of the incident, and we saw everything, from running, screaming, pushing, till we hid in one of the shops at the end of the mall and then in a warehouse that overlooks the car park (the place where the armed man was firing from.”
He added: “It was a room in a warehouse which was one meter by 5 meters, and held 13 people. We shut the door behind us and kept hearing screaming and shooting amid police siren blaring. We communicated directly with Saudi Ambassador in Berlin Awad Al-Awad, who had been following up on the incident since the beginning.”
He said after four hours they were allowed to leave the mall after German police secured the area and started evacuating people.
Al-Kharief said the mall was full of families, including those from the Gulf and other Arab countries. He said the Saudi ambassador contacted them directly within minutes of the incident and told them to provide him with the developments that led to the shooting incident. Then the Saudi families were evacuated and kept in a safe place and gave eyewitness accounts to the German police.
Saudi tourist in Germany Ali Al-Khayaar spoke of the last moments experienced by the families held hostage inside the center and those near the scene. “We were very near the scene and lived moments of terror as the police surrounded the place and stopped the movement of traffic and transport. We were then hosted by the embassy till late at night.” He added the Saudi diplomats worked hard to help them.
The Saudi Embassy in Germany announced on the night of the incident that the ambassador was personally monitoring the situation of Saudi citizens after the attack in the city. The ambassador was in constant contact with the Saudi nationals who were at the site. He added that nine families were evacuated from the scene to safe places and the embassy called on all to stay at home and away from any gatherings.
