Bangladeshi shot dead in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi muezzin shot dead a Bangladeshi worker and injured another after they failed to make the call to pray on time, reports Arab News.

The dead is Mohammed Rafiq Tajul Islam, 32, a Bangladeshi worker, hailed from Kholapara in Shariatpur district.

The other worker, an Indian, was alive with two gunshot wounds.

Labour Counselor of the Bangladesh Embassy Mohamed Sarwar Alam told Arab News on Wednesday that the deceased had been working at the mosque for some time.

He said the embassy’s legal team is sorting out the paperwork of the deceased and had informed his family about the tragedy.

According to the Arab News, the incident took place at 3:30pm on Sunday during Asr prayers in a mosque in Ortawwiyah in the Majmaah district, 30 km from the Riyadh city center.

A Saudi muezzin opened fire at two expatriate workers in a mosque here, killing one and injuring the other, police said.

When police arrived at the scene, in response to a call from a citizen, they found Tajul Islam in a pool of blood.

The injured Indian is undergoing treatment at King Khaled Hospital in Majmaah. The police have not released his name and said he is out of danger.

Sources from the Ortawwiyah area said the Bangladeshi used to make the call for prayer for the muezzin. On the day of the incident, the worker had failed to make the call on time, which infuriated the muezzin, they claimed.

The police arrested the murder accused. According to the police, the perpetrator is a psychiatric patient at a nearby hospital. However, investigations are continuing.