Ibrahim Alawi
JEDDAH — The police searched through more than a 1,000 apartments and hotels to find the location of a video showing a Saudi being physically abused.
A source from Jeddah Police said a viral video titled “Zamzoom” showed a Saudi man on the ground while another Saudi is stomping on his face and beating him up.
“The video went viral on several websites and social media apps. The video left the viewers horrified wondering the identity of the victim and the assaulter and what had led to the incident. The victim never reported the incident to the police but the persistence of the viewers to resolve the case forced the police to launch an investigation,” said the source. The source said police have searched through a 1,000 apartments and 171 hotels.
“By looking at the furniture in the video, the police officers speculated the that it might have been shot in a hotel or a furnished apartment. The police have been trying to match the furniture in the video with the locations they visited,” said the source.
The source also said Saudi netizens started a hashtag on Twitter with the same title of the video.
“The police dedicated a team to monitor the hashtag. The general public began analyzing the video with the police and giving information that could expedite the investigation. A tweet stated that the victim works for the police in Jeddah,” said the source.
The source also said the police then began investigating the employees working for Jeddah Police.
“The police identified the victim as one of the officers. He immediately admitted that he is the victim in the video. He told the police the incident happened in an apartment in Al-Hamrah District. The victim said he was assaulted by a Saudi man in his 30s from Riyadh,” said the source.
The source also said the victim said the wife of the assaulter was the one who shot the video.
“The victim said he was tied down and beaten by the man. Makkah Police cooperated with Riyadh Police until they were able to identify the assaulter and arrest him. The case is currently being processed and the assaulter is undergoing interrogation,” said the source.
