Ibrahim Alawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH – A Saudi, who threatened to attack Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras and then attempted to commit suicide, was overpowered by fellow citizens at the mayor’s office on Tuesday morning. Police took him into custody and he is under interrogation.



The 40-year-old man was protesting against an alleged raid carried out by mayoralty officials on a stall owned by him in the downtown Balad area. He accused the officials of seizing his commercial goods worth over SR200,000.



The man arrived at the mayor’s office and managed to enter the mayor’s chamber while he was preoccupied in a meeting with citizens at 7.30 a.m. The man then instantly took out a knife and asked the mayor and the group of citizens who were present there not to move otherwise he will harm them. He also showed a bottle of benzene that he had brought with him saying that he would pour it on his body and commit suicide.



At that time, one of the citizens caught hold of him from behind and overpowered him. He was then handed over to the police. 



Nawaf Al-Bouq, spokesman of Jeddah police, said that it was revealed in preliminary interrogation that the man really wanted to harm himself. “We are investigating whether he had any plans to attack the mayor,” Al-Bouq added.



Three months ago, there was a similar incident at the office of the director of Saudi Electricity Company’s Western Sector in Jeddah where a citizen raised a ruckus before being overpowered by security guards.