A longtime bodyguard of Saudi Arabia's King Salman was shot dead on Saturday evening by an acquaintance, after what authorities say was a 'personal dispute' that took place in the coastal city of Jeddah.
Major General Abdulaziz Al-Fagham was reportedly visiting a friend, Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Sabti, at his home in Jeddah, when an acquaintance, Mamdouh al-Ali, entered the room. According to the police statement, Al-Fagham and Ali had a heated conversation. Ali left the room and returned with a firearm, mortally wounding Al-Fagham and injuring a Filipino worker and the brother of the house's owner.
Ali later refused to surrender to security personnel, injuring five before being killed in a shootout. Al-Fagham was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries, according to Arab News.
Al-Fagham had served as a bodyguard for the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and has often been seen guarding the incumbent King Salman, even tying his shoes for him on one occasion.
As Saudi state television tweeted news of his death, tributes poured in for the guard across social media. However, a few questioned the details of his death. Regional analyst Ali Al-Ahmed, founder and director of the Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs, tweeted saying that he knew 'with high certainty' that Al-Fagham had been dismissed from his post just a few days earlier.
AlFaghem had many secrets & had served since as personal guard of King Abduulah - from 2002- as far as we can confirm. This made him a threat to #MBS given he supervised palace guards who killed #JamalKhashoggi
— Ali AlAhmed (@AliAlAhmed_en) September 29, 2019
The incident comes as nearly one year has passed since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2, 2018.
