Manama: The husband who staged an attack drama in Saudi Arabia on himself to extort SR (Saudi riyal) one million from his Saudi wife has been identified as a 39-year-old Lebanese.
His two accomplices were Pakistanis who worked in the company owned by the wife's father and a Palestinian, Saudi news site Sabq reported on Wednesday, citing sources it did not name.
The husband reportedly met the Pakistani accomplice around three weeks ago and plotted with him the fake attack and the threats to his 34-year-old wife to force her to pay up the ransom.
The Lebanese promised his accomplice that he would pay him handsomely following the success of the drama.
The Pakistani man said that he needed some assistance from an accomplice and he contacted the Palestinian who agreed to take part in the action.
The pair prepared a gun, knives and a licence plate that they camouflaged as an explosive belt in order to scare the wife and compel her to give them the cash.
On the day of the crime, the two coordinated with the husband and entered the house. They held the husband in front of his wife and threatened to kill him unless she brought them SR one million. The husband, playing his role, pleaded with his wife to go ahead and give them the cash to save his life.
According to the sources, the wife told the "attackers" that she needed to make a phone call to secure the money they requested. However, she managed to call the 911 emergency number and reported the attack without raising the suspicion of the intruders.
Police patrols were sent to the address in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and succeeded in arresting the attackers who tried to resist and flee.
The investigation revealed the role of the husband in the drama played out in front of his wife and he too was arrested.
A spokesperson for the police confirmed the staged attack.
"The unified operation room received a call from a Saudi woman who reported that two men carrying a gun and knives and claiming they were carrying an explosive belt had entered her home and threatened to kill her husband unless she agreed to pay them SR one million," he said. "Investigations revealed that the attackers and the husband had plotted the scenario to extort money from her. They were all arrested and will be referred to the public prosecution."
