Indian accused of blasphemy acquitted By Hussein Hazzazi JEDDAH – A court in Jeddah acquitted on Tuesday an Indian man accused of blasphemy by insulting Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abrar Ansar Ahmad, who was working as a manager at the Communications Department at King Abdul Aziz Medical City, was released after being held for six months on charges of verbally insulting the Prophet (pbuh). Lawyer Fahd Mahboub said his client had been released following testimonies from the hospital's Religious Affairs Division, Al-Furqan Center for Education of the Holy Qur'an, and the Imam of a neighboring mosque which all described Ahmad as a devout Muslim who had performed Haj 15 times and paid frequent visits to the Prophet's Mosque in Madina. The court described the original accusations as part of a plot targeting Ahmad. – Okaz/SG Taxi driver's murderer refuses to give motives By Ibrahim Al-Alawi JEDDAH – The Pakistani man accused of stabbing an Indian taxi driver to death in his vehicle last week in Jeddah has been reported as telling detectives to “Let it go!” and “Forget about it!” when questioned over his motives for the crime. Investigators have yet to come up with an explanation for the murder, which took place on Sitteen Street early Thursday morning, and continue to be baffled by some of the circumstances surrounding the gruesome killing. – Okaz/SG Jail terms, fines for four human smugglers By Eid Al-Harthi JEDDAH – An administrative court of the Jeddah Passports Department handed down Tuesday jail sentences to four Saudi smugglers of illegal aliens of one to eight months and fines ranging from SR10,000 to SR30,000 for each client.The punishment of smugglers who were found guilty of repetitive attempts to smuggle illegal aliens into the Kingdom was doubled, said Col. Hussain Al-Harthi, chief of Follow-up Department at Jeddah Passports. – Okaz/SG Undercover cops seize hashish By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – Undercover police in Jeddah on Tuesday found hashish worth SR740,000 in the possession of an Ethiopian gang. Police had their suspicions raised by the behavior of a driver and passenger in a vehicle which they subsequently tailed and stopped, finding inside 63 kg of the illegal drug. The detained men later revealed further quantities of the drug at one of the gang's hideouts. – Okaz/SG Police investigate pistol suicide By Iftikhar Bahafeen JIZAN – Police were called to a hospital in Jizan after a girl in her twenties reportedly committed suicide using a pistol. Samita Hospital informed authorities of the arrival of a deceased girl whose father and brothers claimed had shot herself in the head using a handgun. Police in the region of Al-Naqeeb inspected the body and the medical report confirmed she had died from the result of a pistol shot to the head.
