Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Bin Badah Al-Fagham, the personal bodyguard of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, has been killed in a gunfire following a personal dispute, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting the Makkah police.

Seven people, including five security men were injured in the attack. The incident occurred at the house of his friend Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sabti at the latter’s house in Al-Shatie district in Jeddah on Saturday evening, the police spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, Maj. Gen. Al-Fagham was visiting his friend Faisal Al-Sabti at his home where a mutual friend named Mamdouh Bin Mishal Al-Ali entered and a heated exchange of words erupted between them.

“When the conversation between Al-Fagham and Al-Ali escalated, Ali left and came back carrying a gun and fired at Fagham, injuring two others in the household — a Filipino worker and the brother of the house’s owner,” the spokesman said.

Al-Fagham, who was taken to hospital, later succumbed to his bullet wounds. The condition of the other injured Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Ali Al-Sabti and Jeffrey Dalfino Sarpuz Ying, the Filipino worker, is reported to be stable.

When security men arrived at the scene, the criminal refused to surrender and started firing at them after barricaded himself in the house. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, he was killed.

Five security men were also injured due to indiscriminate shooting by the culprit. All the injured were taken to hospital for treatment and their conditions are good. The security authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, the spokesman said.

Dr. Nawaf Al-Fagham, brother of Maj. Gen. Al-Fagham and member of the Shoura Council, said the funeral prayer of the deceased was held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah after Isha prayers and buried at Al-Adl cemetary on Sunday. Condolences will be received at Qurtuba district in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Al-Fagham’s death evoked an outpouring of emotion on Twitter, with many condemning the killing. The incident was triggered by a “personal dispute”, Al-Ekhbariya state television reported. It added that Fagham died in hospital from his injuries and that an investigation into the shooting had been launched.

The bodyguard, with his tall, slender bearing, was well known among Saudis and often pictured attending closely to the King.

Al-Fagham, who was frequently seen by the King’s side, also guarded the late King Abdullah, taking over from his father, who served under the former ruler for three decades.

Okaz/Saudi Gazette learnt that the public took a liking to Al-Fagham from the days when he guarded King Abdullah. With this, he gained the leadership’s trust and the love of the Saudis. News of the killing has come as a thunderbolt for Saudis, who are deeply saddened by his death.

Al-Fagham was described as the most famous of all the royal guards mainly because of his vigilance and tact. He accompanied the King on all his travels, inside and outside of the Kingdom.