RIYADH – As per the directives of Crown Prince Salman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, Samirah Al-Ghamdi and her two children were airlifted from King Fahd Hospital in Al-Baha to the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh for treatment of their injuries. Samirah, who is pregnant, lost her husband, Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, last Friday when members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Hai'a) chased them until their car fell off a bridge. The Hai'a had become involved in an argument with Abdulrahman after they complained about the volume of his car's stereo. When Abdulrahman attempted to leave the scene, the Hai'a pursued his vehicle and attempted to force him to stop. Abdulrahman lost control of the vehicle and it fell off of a bridge. He immediately died at the scene of the accident and the couple's two children were left badly injured. The victim's brother expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Crown Prince for his kind gesture and also thanked the medical staff at King Fahd Hospital in Al-Baha and Baljurashi General Hospital. In a related development, the relatives of the deceased refused to receive his corpse from the morgue at Baljurashi General Hospital because of the details in the report compiled by the committee tasked with investigating the causes of the death. The relatives said the committee had stated that the death was caused by a traffic accident. His relatives believe the death was a crime as it resulted from a high-speed chase. The deceased's half-brother, Khaled Khelaif, said his brother was familiar with the road because his family owns several buildings in the area and aware of the dangerous parts of the road. “It sounds odd that he diverted on his own from the main asphalted road to the dirt road. We know that he was forced off of the road,” he said. The family has called for a fact-finding committee to be formed under the direction supervision of the Emir of Al-Baha. – SG
