Harithy, the university professor who was found hanged in his office at home on Friday, has described her husband as “anxious, sleeping for prolonged periods, introverted and having a weak appetite” in the period leading up to his death. Named only as S.M., his wife said that Al-Harithy remained in his office for “virtually the whole of Ramadan”, only emerging on Eid Al-Fitr to perform prayers, after which she did not see him for four days. The last time she saw her husband was at dawn the day before his death. S.M., one of Al-Harithy's two wives, described him as “wise, reasonable and kind to everyone” throughout their marriage. “These characteristics can be seen in his will in which he tells the family to be united,” she said. A forensic team from the Health Affairs Directorate in Makkah will, meanwhile, perform an autopsy on Al-Harithy's body at the behest of his mother who refuses to accept the initial police description of his death as a suicide. The team will send its report on the causes of Al-Harithy's death to the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution. Sources said a preliminary medical report cited “torn nerves in the neck”, a factor which they said pointed to suicide. The autopsy, however, will examine all areas of the body, with particular focus on the circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems.
