MADINAH — An Egyptian pilgrim died on board a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane bound for Cairo after suffering a heart attack. Muhammad Alaam died after fulfilling his wish to perform Haj. He had a heart attack when the airplane was flying over Madinah and the captain made an emergency landing at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport. The Egyptian died before the airplane was able to land. According to a source at the airport, Alaam's body was taken to King Fahd Hospital in Madinah. Alaam's son said his father, who used to work as a police officer in Cairo, had always dreamed of performing Haj. “My father had undergone open-heart surgery before departing for the Kingdom to perform Haj. He got tired after Haj and we had to admit him into Al-Shumaisy Hospital in Riyadh where he stayed for a few days before being discharged,” he said. Alaam is buried in Madinah. — SG
