MEDINA, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A man arrested in the killing of two men in Saudi Arabia said he saw one victim smoking, and the other was unfit to lead mosque prayers.
The unnamed Saudi national, 32, admitted to police that Monday, on his way to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, he struck a Pakistani man on the head with a stick and then shot him because he was seen smoking a cigarette, and inside the mosque he fatally shot a Bangladeshi man waiting to lead group prayers, the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported Wednesday, noting smoking is "haram," or forbidden by Islamic law.
The newspaper said the suspect is believed to suffer from mental problems.
After the shooting within the mosque the suspect locked the doors, prompting a four-hour siege by security forces. He was apprehended and taken away by police, the Bahraini newspaper Gulf News said Wednesday.
