Homemade bomb in Shiite town kills senior Saudi cop
Major Tariq Al Alaqi was killed while two policemen were wounded in the blast in Awamiya that occurred while they were patrolling the town’s old Almosara neighbourhood.
RIYADH // A senior Saudi police officer was killed by a homemade explosive device in a Shiite town where deadly violence has flared in recent weeks, the interior ministry said on Monday.
Major Tariq Al Alaqi was killed and two policemen were wounded in the blast in Awamiya on Sunday, the ministry said.
They were patrolling the town’s old Almosara neighbourhood, where unrest has escalated in recent weeks around a redevelopment project.
Al Alaqi is at least the fourth person to have been killed in the violence.
The town, in the oil-producing Eastern Province and home to Saudi Arabia’s large Shiite population, is a flashpoint between the Sunni government and Shiites complaining of marginalisation.
The interior ministry has implicated criminals involved in the drug and arms trade in the violence in Awamiya.
Awamiya, a town of 30,000 in the Shiite-majority Qatif region of eastern Saudi Arabia, has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent years.
It was the home of Nimr Al Nimr, a Shiite cleric put to death in January last year for “terrorism” and inciting violence.
His execution prompted protesters in Iran to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever ties with Tehran.
Al Nimr was a driving force behind protests by Shiites that began in 2011 and developed into a call for equality in the Sunni-majority kingdom.
Al Nimr’s brother Mohammed Al Nimr was wounded in gunfire that erupted after the police major’s death, said his nephew who shares the same name.
“He was outside his home. He got shot in his lower leg,” the nephew said, blaming security forces.
“His leg got broken and he’s still in the hospital.”
Last month, a Saudi soldier was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade and five others wounded while fighting suspected militants in the town of Awamiya in Qatif province.
Days earlier, on May 12, a Saudi child and a Pakistani builder were killed during an attack on workers at a building project in the Almosara area in Awamiya. The interior ministry said “terrorist elements” were using explosive devices and landmines to obstruct the building project.
Three United Nations rights experts have called on Saudi Arabia to halt demolitions in the 400-year-old Almosara district which, they said, caused “injury, deaths and material losses to the civilians”.
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
