Arab News Staff Writer

JEDDAH, 18 January 2004 — American authorities have refused to give the father of an alleged murderer a visa to visit his son, Muhammad Al-Ayed.

The man told Okaz Arabic daily that he had applied many times but his application was always denied. He authorized a Saudi lawyer to represent his son in the US and said that the lawyer had met his son and that the son had denied involvement in the murder. The boy said that he was not at home when the murder occurred.

The father said, “My son is studying computer engineering and is in his last year. He is supposed to finish this year. There are other people involved in this case and we shall see the truth after the investigation ends.”

He said that he does not believe that his son is a murderer. He is surprised that the newspapers have published that a servant witnessed Muhammad stabbing his friend and that Muhammad then told her that he would escape to Saudi Arabia.

Sources at the Saudi Embassy in Washington said that the embassy had hired a lawyer to follow the case which they are monitoring on a daily basis.