Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — After spending a year and three months in various hospitals for treatment of wounds he sustained in a terrorist attack in Madinah in July 2016, private Mahanna Hamid Al-Ruhaili returned home on Saturday.

Al-Ruhaili was an officer in the emergency forces guarding the Prophet’s Mosque. He was wounded in an explosion outside the holy mosque around sunset in the fasting month of Ramadan.

Overjoyed by his return, family members received Al-Ruhaili at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

His father and brothers had never given up hope that Mahanna would recover and be able to lead a normal life again even though they were aware of his grave medical condition after shrapnel pierced his head during the bomb attack.

Treating doctors preferred to keep the shrapnel inside his head fearing that any attempt to remove them would jeopardize his life. The family agreed after the doctors told them that this would not cause any complications for Al-Ruhaili.

After Al-Ruhaili was wounded in the explosion, he was admitted to Security Forces Hospital in Riyadh where he underwent treatment for a while before being transferred to the Czech Republic where he stayed six months. He returned home to be admitted to the Rehabilitation Center in Madinah to continue his journey of recovery and then was transferred to Riyadh again.

Muhammad Al-Ruhaili, the victim’s brother, said Mahanna became a quadriplegic because of injuries to his brain.

“My brother was the victim of a terrorist attack. The terrorist blew himself up while sitting with a group of security officers after he pretended to break the fast with them. We called our brother right after we heard about the explosion but he did not answer the phone. Then we realized that something terrible might have happened to him. He remained unconscious for 25 days after the explosion,” Muhammad said.

Ayman Al-Ruhaili, the victim’s cousin, said Mahanna was a loyal officer who always performed his duties with responsibility.