4 hours ago
The killing of an Egyptian pharmacist in Saudi Arabia sparked a wave of anger among Egyptians and an electronic debate between Egyptians and Saudis on social media, amid calls to calm feelings and renounce any causes of discord between the two peoples.
What’s the story?
According to what was reported by Egyptian media, the 34-year-old Egyptian pharmacist, Ahmed Hatem, was working in a pharmacy in the Sakaka area of Al-Jawf Governorate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he died on Wednesday following a Saudi woman shot him inside the pharmacy where he works.
A number of newspapers circulated news that an altercation broke out between the Egyptian pharmacist and a Saudi woman following he refused to give her an antibiotic that can only be given by prescription, according to the instructions of the Saudi Ministry of Health.
The news added that the Saudi woman then went to her car to get her own pistol, and entered the pharmacy once more and fired two bullets at Hatem in the back, causing him to inflame the lung and end his life following he was transferred to the hospital.
official move
The Egyptian Ministry of Immigration announced in a statement that it is following up the legal procedures for the killing of the Egyptian pharmacist in Saudi Arabia, and stressed that the Egyptian authorities trust the “legal procedures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The Minister of Immigration, Ambassador Nabila Makram, also sent condolences to the pharmacist’s family, and confirmed “following up on all legal procedures for the case and the procedures for shipping the body.”
Makram also added, during a telephone conversation with the family of the deceased, “that the Egyptian young man was killed while doing his work, and that the Egyptian embassy acted immediately, and played a major role to expedite the procedures for returning the body, ensuring all legal procedures, and following up on the progress of investigations with the perpetrator.”
The Syndicate of Pharmacists in Egypt also mourned the pharmacist, Ahmed Hatem Madi, and confirmed in a statement that it was “closely following the investigation procedures”, and that it would “provide all the necessary support to the pharmacist’s family.”
Parliamentarian Mustafa Bakri commented on the incident, and confirmed in a tweet his confidence that “the Saudi authorities will not hesitate to bring the woman to an urgent trial.”
arrest the offender
On the other hand, the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that they had arrested the Saudi woman who shot the Egyptian pharmacist, but they have not yet revealed any information regarding her identity or the reasons for committing this crime, only saying that she is “currently under arrest and is being investigated.” “.
Anger on social media
The killing of the pharmacist, Ahmed Hatem, sparked a wave of sadness and anger on social media, in addition to calls for just retribution through hashtags such as #Haq_the_Pharmacist_Ahmed_Hatem_Lazem_Yad, which topped the communication sites in Egypt.
Although most of the pioneers of the communication sites expressed their confidence in the Saudi authorities, some expressed their dissatisfaction and doubts.
“single case”
On the other hand, Saudi tweets stressed that “the right is not lost in the kingdom,” and they assured the Egyptians that the perpetrator would be brought to justice and that what happened was an “individual case.”
Tweeters also warned once morest attempts by some to exploit this incident to sow the seeds of discord and strife between the two brotherly peoples.