The man who killed retired Saudi General Ahmed Fayea Asiri has been arrested, Saudi Press Agency quoted the Interior Ministry security spokesman, as stating on Saturday.

Osama Ahmed Muhammad Al-Rajhi, a Yemeni, was the kingpin in the crime.

He admitted to the killing and said that he was acting in line with directives from ISIS abroad.

Two others connived with Osama Al-Rajhi were also arrested. They were Saudi national Muwaffaq Saleh Sunaid Al-Harbi and Osama’s brother Muhammad Ahmed Muhammad Al-Rajhi, a Yemeni.

The Interior Ministry security spokesman said today’s statement follows the one issued on (Monday) Feb. 15, 2016 by Jazan Province Police. They had said that a murder was reported by security patrol. They received a call from a Saudi man saying that his father, retired Brig. Gen. Ahmed Fayea Asiri, was shot by an unidentified gunman in their private farm in Abu Areesh leading to his death.

Investigations in the case and wide field follow-up led to the arrest of the kingpin in this crime, Osama Al-Rajhi and his two accomplices Muwaffaq Al-Harbi and Muhammad Al-Rajhi.

The authorities found a pistol and a silencer in the alleged kingpin’s residence in Abu Areesh. Tests in the forensic laboratory confirmed that it was the weapon used in the crime, apart from the fingerprints lifted from scene of the crime that matched those found on the weapon.

Osama Al-Rajhi, on admitting to the crime, also revealed meeting with Al-Harbi in Makkah to receive the pistol and silencer.

Meanwhile, the second accomplice Muhammad Al-Rajhi admitted that he knew the details of the crime that his brother Osama carried out. Osama then hid the pistol and silencer in a water tank on the roof of their residence.

Border firing kills Saudi in Najran

Rockets fired by Yemeni rebels into a Saudi border city on Saturday killed a Saudi civilian and wounded six others including a Pakistani man, the Saudi Civil Defense agency said. Quoted by Al-Ekhbariya state television, the agency the five other wounded in the city of Najran were all Yemeni citizens.

Videos and pictures posted on social networks showed two blazing buildings in the city center. Saturday’s attack was the third this week.

Cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia have increased since a Saudi-led Arab coalition this month stepped up air strikes on insurgent targets inside Yemen.

On Friday, five foreign residents of Najran were wounded in a rocket strike just west of the city. Seven civilians were killed on Tuesday when the city center was shelled, with three victims said to be expats.

This article was first published by the Saudi Gazette on Aug. 21, 2016.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:47 - GMT 06:47