KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Al-Sabah and other officials attended the military funeral held for Abdulaziz Mohammad Al-Rasheedi at Sulaibikhat cemetery yesterday. - Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A 19-year-old Syrian man yesterday went on a deadly rampage, allegedly stabbing to death his own Kuwaiti mother and then hitting a traffic policeman in Mahboula before stabbing him to death and running away. Security forces later found the murderer hiding in a farm in Wafra, south of Kuwait, and asked him to surrender before exchanging fire with him and seriously wounding him. The man later succumbed to his wounds in Adan hospital.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem mourned the death of the policeman Abdulaziz Mohammad Al-Rasheedi, a Saudi national working in Kuwait, and Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Al-Sabah declared him a martyr. A military funeral was held yesterday afternoon for him at Sulaibkhat cemetery.

Abdulaziz Mohammad Al-Rasheedi

HH the Amir yesterday cabled the family of the deceased police officer Al-Rasheedi who died while performing his duties with utter faithfulness and devotion. HH the Amir invoked His Almighty to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon the soul of the lost officer and wished his bereaved family patience and solace. HH the Crown Prince also sent a cable of condolences to the officer's family, expressing sincere consolation for the loss of their loved one, praying to His Almighty to embrace his soul with mercy and wishing his family patience and consolation.

HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to the bereaved family. An interior ministry statement said the security agencies received information that the man stabbed his mother to death in the Mubarak Al-Kabir area. The ministry statement provided no details on the motives of the slaying.

The alleged killer, a Syrian national identified only as Ahmad, then went to the nearby area of Mahboula where he knocked down the traffic policeman who tried to stop him. He then got out of his vehicle and attacked the policeman, stabbing him repeatedly before fleeing. Security sources said they located Ahmad hiding in a farm in Wafra. Security men asked him to surrender, but he refused and shot at the forces. At this stage, elite forces stormed the farm and wounded the man. Ahmad was taken to hospital where he died.

The interior ministry organized an official mourning for the policeman which was attended by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and the interior minister and others. Ghanem called on the interior ministry to take the necessary measures to prevent such crimes from taking place again. The interior minister said a comprehensive investigation will be carried out over the crime.

The brutal killings come just a few months after Farah Akbar was kidnapped and stabbed to death, allegedly by a man who had been stalking her, this past April. Her body was dumped at Adan hospital. MP Mohammad Al-Rasheedi called on HH the Prime Minister and the interior minister to grant Kuwaiti citizenship to parents and brothers and sisters of the victim as a reward for his sacrifice. MP Musaed Al-Mutairi blamed the interior minister for being responsible for what he called the security chaos.

MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri charged that the brutal crime was the result of the mismanagement of the interior minister. MP Khalil Al-Saleh called on authorities to stop crimes that jolt the society. MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf said the security lapse is the result of mismanagement and said that "those who cannot repair the fault should leave". MP Muhannad Al-Sayer blamed the interior minister for the bad position of the security agency, adding that those who fail should be axed.