Man dies after setting himself on fire

Riyadh: A Saudi man died after setting himself on fire in the southwestern town of Samta, local media said yesterday.

It would be Saudi Arabia's first such incident since an unemployed man set himself on fire in Tunisia last month protesting the state of the economy and sparking riots which brought down the government. Since that time there has been a wave of copycat immolations across the region, though with few fatalities.

Civil defence spokesman Captain Yahia Al Qah'tani said in a statement that the man, in his sixties, set himself on fire on Friday and died in the hospital.

No name or motive was given.

Saudi Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh on Thursday condemned suicide even in response to harsh living conditions.