(MENAFN - Arab Times) In a violent turn of events, an altercation in Avenues Mall led to the stabbing to death of a young Lebanese doctor on Friday night.
The slumbering footsteps of lazy shoppers enjoying their Friday at the Avenues were drawn to a standstill when Jaber Samir Yousef, 26, a Lebanese dentist born of a Kuwaiti mother was repeatedly stabbed to death following a disagreement with four young men. Reports state that the stabbing occurred when the four young men followed Jaber into the mall after a fight began over a parking space.
There have also been reports that Jaber suddenly stopped his car, causing the suspects to crash into him, and in turn angering them, as well as rumors that it was about Jaber's girlfriend, but this has not been verified.
The Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior issued a statement that the investigation in Farwaniya led to a 22-year-old Bedoun suspect who has been arrested and charged with the murder. He was said to have fled the scene of the crime, and security forces searched for him in his residence in the Salibiyah area, but did not find him. Instead, he was found in a camp in Julei'a desert in Bnaidar area. They are still carrying out investigations on two of his non-Kuwaiti friends who are said to be accomplices.
The main suspect is currently still under intense questioning to find out the details of the killing.
Samir Yousef, the victim's father said, "My son spent 4 years studying in 6th October University [in Cairo], and two weeks ago he took up his position in Mahmoud Haidar Medical Center in Bneid Al Gar. He didn't even receive his first paycheck." He added that he had made sure to send his son abroad and come back to Kuwait to provide it with his best.
"But unfortunately fate willed me a corpse instead, due to the recklessness of others," he continued, expressing puzzlement at the existence of armed people in the Avenues and the lack of security, adding that his son had no enemies.
Several pictures have been circulated online of the event, with many stating that Jaber Yousef was left to bleed for a long period of time without assistance or paramedics. A source stated that Yousef was moved by a relative and two accompanying males to their car, and taken to Farwaniya Hospital following the stabbing, leaving a trail of blood through the mall. It is also said that two of his friends were also injured. By the time ambulances and paramedics arrived he was already gone. It is unclear why they did not wait for assistance, or why there was a delay in the arrival of the paramedics. Other sources state that he died at approximately 1 am in the hospital, due to a stab wound in the heart.
Mohammed Samir Yousef, the victim's brother, was also coincidentally at the mall at the time of the accident. "He died in the emergency room," he said.
Twitter, mobile applications and other social networking outlets were flooded with news of the killing , with pictures of the young man stabbed and bloodied circulating all night, with condolences and speculations continuing to pour through under the hashtag "Avenues_crime" (in Arabic).
Several MPs expressed condemnation for the prolonged silence of the Ministry of Interior, having not issued a statement on the matter immediately. Safaa Al-Hashim tweeted, condemning the "unforgivably terrible silence from the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Homoud, over the tragic murder crime that occurred " without the least security means (present)".
Many have blamed this accident on lack of security in the mall, while others turned their criticism in the direction of the parents of the stabber, and the lack of moral values that has become prevalent in Kuwait. Tweeters above all expressed their sorrow and shock at the situation.
The event seems to have intensely jolted residents of Kuwait, most of whom are accustomed to The Avenues and Kuwait's various malls as havens of recreation and relaxation. This unprecedented disruption has upset Kuwait's otherwise relatively peaceful existence, cutting a little too close to the bone, for those who relish the quiet comfort of this small desert land.
