DAMMAM — Ali, whose father Muhammad Al-Arbash died in an attempted suicide bombing on a Dammam mosque just days ago, stands outside a house 150 meters away from the explosion. It is where his father's torso was found due to the sheer force of the blast, Al-Sharq reported. Despite their initial terror over the attack, local residents have expressed pride over Al-Arbash's heroism as well as that of fellow victims consisting of his brother Abduljaleel, cousin Muhammad Al-Isa and friend Hadi Al-Hashim. The owner of the house where Al-Arbash's torso fell has arranged baskets of roses outside his home. A maternal aunt of the three siblings said Muhammad Al-Arbash, 34, is the father of two boys — Ali, 9, and Abdullah, 4. The moment he heard Abduljaleel shouting from outside the mosque, he ran out even though volunteers had closed the doors. Footage from surveillance cameras showed Al-Isa kneeling on the chest of the attacker, who was disguised as a woman and wearing an explosives belt. Abduljaleel was holding the man's hands tightly while Al-Hashim was holding him by his legs. Al-Arbash came running to their assistance but the belt exploded. The aunt said: “We immediately found out that three people were martyred — Abduljaleel, Muhammad Al-Isa and Hadi. “Muhammad remained unaccounted for. “We thought he must have ran away and would return when he had grieved. “Muhammad was known for hiding his sorrow and tears away from people. “But his mother used to say, ‘Say that Muhammad has been martyred but don't tell me that he has gone missing.'” Eventually they found out that the scattered remains of a body found in the courtyard of a house near the mosque belonged to Al-Arbash. The aunt said: “My sister thanked Allah by prostrating on the ground and saying, ‘Take, my God, until you are satisfied.' “This is because she knows that the effort she spent raising her sons would not be wasted. “She educated them to sacrifice for others. “They have raised her head high before all mothers.” Neighbors said a large part of Al-Arbash's body collided with the window of the house's second floor due to the magnitude of the explosion. Other pieces were scattered in the house's courtyard. The aunt said: “We visited the woman's house where the bigger portion of Muhammad's body fell. “She shouted in shock, ‘See the blood in my house.' “She decorated the courtyard of her house and the place where the body parts fell with baskets of fragrant flowers including roses in honor of Muhammad and his heroic deed. “She intends to keep the roses and other flowers in that place. “She pointed at the bloodstains on three walls of the house. “The bloodstains are still there despite all efforts to remove them.” Muhammad Al-Arbash was working as an administrator at the Ministry of Health, she said. “He was kind to his and other people's children and he always kept an eye on his children. “He never stopped making others laugh and smile despite his problems and worries. “He was always keen to visit his mother daily. “He used to come to visit and help her. “Muhammad always felt guilty that he was not helping his mother enough and used to cry in the dark without anyone seeing or hearing him.”
