Masoudi Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — In a crime that has shocked the holy city, a 40-year-old local was arrested Friday for killing his son, 13, and cutting off his head. The father had left his son's headless body on the side of the road, the police said. It was spotted by a passing motorist. Col. Abdulmohsen Al-Maiman, Makkah Police spokesman, said the father has confessed to the crime. He was handed over to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) Saturday, in preparation to stand trial. The father has a criminal record and is known for using drugs. According to Okaz/Saudi Gazette sources, the slain boy's grandfather, who is in his 70s, alerted the Al-Sharea Police Station after finding the boy missing and speaking to his son. The grandfather said: “The boy's mother lives in Al-Sabhani District in Makkah and he used to visit his father every Wednesday at Plot 2 in Al-Sharea District. The last time I saw the victim was on Wednesday. When he did not show up, I asked his father about his whereabouts. He answered that he might have been ‘taken by the wind'.” When the police questioned the man, he collapsed and admitted he had killed his son. He showed the police where he had hidden the boy's head. The father lives in a three-story building owned by the grandfather. Local residents said the victim was disciplined and loved by everyone in the district for his politeness and good conduct. He was memorizing the Holy Qur'an at a nearby mosque. Dr. Tariq Al-Bar, a psychiatrist and Director of Mental Health at Makkah General Directorate of Health Affairs, said the father must be examined by psychologists to determine whether he is mentally ill. If the father suffers from a mental illness he may not be held responsible for his action and cannot be labeled a killer, said Al-Bar. He said he had never come across such a “heinous crime” in his entire career. He urged families with such relatives to seek the help of the authorities to protect society from their behavior. “From the depth of my heart, I'm so utterly sad, angry, disgusted, and horrified at how evil, how insane, how putrid a human being has to be to viciously and ruthlessly murder his own child?” __
