Abdullah Al Sharbini was skating by Jeddah’s corniche as he regularly does during his spare time. But yesterday at around noon he saw something out of the ordinary on an otherwise peaceful corniche.
A 23-year-old Saudi woman went to Starbucks with two of her female cousins and while her cousins went inside the coffee shop, she stood outside and was taking photos of the corniche. A middle-aged Saudi man approached her and started harassing her persistently. And when she seemed to defy the man’s advances, he got out a paper cutter from his thobe pocket and stabbed her on the neck with it.
| Following which the assailant pushed her and continued stabbing her repeatedly until a bystander pushed the assailant on to the pavement. The assailant got in his car and started to drive away. Seeing this Abdullah went after the perpetrator on his skates, risking his life, and managed to snap a photo of the man and his car’s plate number. The photos eventually helped the Jeddah police nab the assailant.
Abdullah’s act of bravery has been widely hailed on social media and the incident is becoming a symbol of how acts of bravery by citizens can help bring justice. The young victim of the brutal attack is currently in the ICU and is showing signs of recovery. Ahmed Alaa Darwish, the uncle of the victim says “the whole family is thankful to the bystanders who called the ambulance on time and are extremely grateful to Abdullah for his valiant effort.” |
|
