Two stabbed to death in Makkah hotel, suspect arrested

Doha: The Makkah region’s official Twitter account revealed that an Algerian national had stabbed and killed two of his countrymen in a hotel in Makkah.

The two stab victims were pronounced dead and the assailant, who had fled the scene after his murder, was captured and taken into custody.

Algerian media reported that the two murdered pilgrims had shared living space with the supect in the hotel, and that he attacked them during their sleep.

One of the two victims had attempted to flee, but was chased down by the assailant and knifed to death as well. Algerian media also reported that the suspect was caught within the vicinity of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque in Makkah). 

The Algerian travel agency which organized the trip announced the death of the pilgrims, while Secretary General of the National Federation of Travel and Tourism Agencies in Algeria, Salah el-Din Toumi, told local papers that the suspect was being treated for mental illness before travelling to the holy land.

The 40-year-old suspect’s actions prior to the crime, according to Toumi, had suggested that he was going through “breakdown and severe rage.”