Bengali Preacher and Syrian Widow... Human Stories of Riyadh Airport Attack Victims
Houthi attack on Riyadh Airport kills Bangladeshi preacher, Syrian widow, and Palestinian citizen
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The Houthi militia’s attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, resulted in a humanitarian tragedy that claimed the lives of civilians and Umrah pilgrims of various nationalities.
The attack took the life of Bangladeshi Grand Mufti and preacher Nasrullah Al-Badr, who had arrived to perform the Umrah rites but was killed before reaching Mecca.
Bangladeshi accounts reported that 40 preachers and teachers from the “Arab Spring of Sciences University” traveled to perform Umrah via Riyadh Air and were targeted by the Houthis at the airport.
Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel broadcast the latest footage of the Mufti and preacher Sheikh Nasrullah Al-Badr at the airport moments before he was targeted. He was accompanied by a group of preachers heading to Jeddah to perform Umrah.
The attack also killed Syrian woman Bathina Awaida, a widow and mother of four who had been living in Mecca for five years. The victim was returning from a visit to her sister in Riyadh when she was targeted.
Syrian accounts circulated the deceased’s previously expressed wish: “I want to be buried in Mecca,” along with her final words before her death: “O Allah, I have surrendered myself to You, turned my face toward You, and entrusted my affairs to You.”
For her part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates mourned the loss of Palestinian citizen Talal Al-Dhani, “who lost his life alongside a group of Saudi and Arab brothers and individuals of other nationalities during these cowardly attacks that targeted the airport.”
In a related development, the Al-Namlah family mourned their deceased member Mariam Al-Brahim Al-Abdulrahman Al-Namlah, known as “Umm Osama,” who died following the attack while en route to Medina.
The casualties were not limited to those killed. Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel also released clips of injured individuals heading to perform Umrah, including an Omani doctor who was injured in the attack, a family preparing to perform Umrah through the airport, and a young girl traveling from Hail to Riyadh for medical treatment.
Commenting on these tragic scenes, users on social media platforms expressed strong condemnation, describing the incident as a crime that shocks the human conscience and arouses the anger of Muslims.
The Authority clarified that the attack also caused material damage, which is currently being assessed and evaluated, after it had previously announced that the airport had been targeted, resulting in injuries, without disclosing a specific casualty count at the time.
The coalition spokesperson had earlier announced that Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport was hit by an unknown projectile, resulting in a fire.
