The most famous murders of Saudi students abroad

The Saudi student’s committee abroad has been facing many traumatic incidents over the years.

There have been many killings with varied causes, but in the end they all led to the loss of Saudi students’ lives. They all went to study abroad but they ended as horrific stories circulating by the media.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program is a governmental program that sends students to study abroad; some companies such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC also send student to pursue their studies outside the Kingdom. Add to that, many Saudis take personal initiatives and go to study abroad.

In 2016, the number of Saudi students in the United States went up to 80 thousand students in more than 51 American states.

Saudi cultural attaché in the States, Dr. Mohammed al-Issa said in an interview that was conducted earlier this year that the proportion of Saudis students’ problems in the United States is less than 1 percent according to American authorities.

Regarding the spread of the Islamophobia phenomenon, he said that it cannot be considered as a common phenomenon, adding that there have been very few incidents that were committed for individual purposes.

We will list below, the most famous murders of Saudi students abroad:

In November 2012, Australian persons found the burnt body of 30-year-old Sultan al-Omari who was reported missing.

In September 2014, the body of 23-year-old Abdullah al-Kadi who was an electrical engineering student, was found 150 kilometers away from his house. Agustin Rosendo Fernandez (28 years) was charged for this murder, stating that he stabbed the victim to death as he was trying to rob him and steal his car.

In October 2014, Mohammed Badi was killed in the city of Cokeville in the state of Wyoming when he was hit deliberately by the car of his friend Marwan al-Hinawi. Hinawi was charged with negligent homicide.

In November 2014, Ali Hassan al-Huwaidi who was studying in the Canadian city of Toronto, was beaten and stabbed by unknown assailants as he was getting back home after visiting one of his friends.

In June 2014, Nahed al-Mannaa was stabbed to death in a crime that was described by British Authorities as brutal and violent. Mannaa was on her way to the British University of Essex in Colchester. She was a PHD student and lived with her brother:

In February 2015, Mansour al-Yami was shot as he tried to run away from two thieves. He was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.

In March 2015, 19-year-old Talal al-Jahmi who was studying in Chicago, was killed by one of his relatives.

In June 2015, Nayef al-Khonaini was beaten to death after a quarrel in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. His body was found in his car.

In August 2015, 23-year-old Rayan Ibrahim was found dead in the state of Kansas. He was shot in the parking lot of Wichita State University. A passer-by had told the police that he saw someone covered in blood next to a car.

In August 2016, authorities in Germany found the body of Murtada al-Mashaal, 25 years old, in the “Neckar” River, after he was reported missing.

In September 2016, AbdulRahman al-Aamer was found dead after the accident that happened when he was driving his motorcycle in Acadia Park in Cadillac Mountain, in the US state of Maine. Aamer was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries.

In November 2016, 24-year-old Hussein bin Said Abdullah al-Nahdi, who was studying UW-Stout university in Wisconsin, was killed by an unidentified person. US Fox News website reported that al-Nahdi was found unconscious and bleeding from his mouth and nose; he was immediately rushed to hospital but did not make it. No arrests have been made and investigators are treating the incident as a homicide. Detectives were still searching for a motive on Tuesday.

The university advisor Bob Meyer said in a statement: “Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to Hussain's family in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, and his friends at UW-Stout.”