On Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Interior executed the death penalty in the case of the murder of Saudi businessman Ahmad Saeed Muhammad Al-Amoudi. The punishment was carried out against the Yemeni perpetrator, Muhammad Salem Ahmad Al-Sharari, following a statement from the Ministry explaining that security forces managed to arrest him. The investigation resulted in charges being filed against him for committing the crime, and after being referred to the criminal court, a ruling was issued confirming the charges and sentencing him to death. This ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, leading to a royal order for the execution to be carried out, which took place in Jeddah, in the Makkah region.
The victim had been strangled to death with a rope by the perpetrator, who stole nearly 14 million riyals (in euros and pounds) from him and unlawfully smuggled part of this money out of the country. This case was one of the last that was resolved by Captain Yazid Al-Nifai, head of the Assault Crimes Unit within the Criminal Investigation Department, just two days before his death.
According to Okaz newspaper, the crime targeted the businessman in the currency exchange field inside his residence in the Al-Rawda neighborhood of western Jeddah. His body was discovered with hands and feet bound and visible signs of strangulation around his neck, after his brother reported him missing, confirming that the 57-year-old had not been seen since a statement from his brother's driver. It was revealed that the missing businessman had withdrawn large amounts of money from his bank accounts before disappearing, and it was determined that he had been murdered inside a villa he owned in Al-Rawda; the authorities found him tied up and hanging with a rope inside a large money-carrying bag.
The incident prompted a thorough examination of all items in the home, with various hypotheses considered regarding whether the crime was committed for robbery or out of revenge. Investigations were also made into how the perpetrator entered the home, and whether the door was opened in a normal manner, which could provide some indicators of the motives and reasons behind the crime.
Security agencies handled all indicators and evidence meticulously, disregarding electronic media reports about the arrest of African and Arab suspects, and due to the lack of evidence inside the victim's home—where the perpetrators had concealed surveillance cameras—and the absence of his wife (the only companion at the house), security forces relied on surveillance footage from nearby villas. They recorded a masked man leaving the businessman’s home in the early hours, returning after an hour, and then re-entering the house at six in the morning, staying there for about three hours before leaving, again masked with a scarf, dragging a large bag behind him, and getting into a taxi, having communicated with the driver via phone.
The security agencies continued their pursuits, locating the taxi driver through the license plate numbers captured by surveillance cameras, which led the authorities to the suspect's hideout. When apprehended, the suspect attempted to feign calmness and denied all charges against him, despite being confronted with video footage showing him exiting the victim's home. The killer tried to explain covering his face as a result of fatigue and inability to withstand the cold weather, but the excuses were not convincing, as security personnel presented him with more evidence and recordings, causing him to break down and confess to his crime, admitting to stealing nearly 14 million riyals (in foreign currencies) after killing his victim.
In his confessions, the perpetrator stated that he had known the victim for a while, selling him honey, which allowed the victim to trust him and let him into his home without fear. This situation enabled the perpetrator to plan his crime, knowing the victim lived alone, leading him to execute his act with confidence, especially after learning that the cameras inside the house were turned off.
The perpetrator mentioned in his confessions that he entered the businessman’s home based on their prior acquaintance, arriving on Friday morning after planning his act. At the designated moment, he attacked from behind and managed to strangle him until he breathed his last under his grip. He reported to investigators that he bound the victim’s hands and feet and attempted to stuff his body into a white bag usually used for holding money, a theory that forensic investigators and the medical examiner had concluded; it was affirmed that the victim had died before being bound, showing no signs of resistance or attempts to escape his bindings.
The forensic report stated that the businessman died from strangulation, indicating that the binding of his hands and feet must have occurred after his death, likely intended to facilitate placing his body in the bag.
