RIYADH, 21 May 2007 — A group of young children and their uncle were victims of one of the most horrendous crimes in the capital on Friday. They were sleeping in their rest house over the weekend when four strangers wearing masks broke in with weapons including guns, knives and cleavers.

The robbers first targeted the sleeping man and asked him to give them everything of value.

In an attempt to keep him under pressure, they moved on to the children who were all under age 6.

Raid Sami Al-Shuwairik, the spokesman for the Riyadh police, said that the police were able to arrest five members of the gang (four criminals and their driver) 48 hours after the crime.

Al-Riyadh newspaper talked to the victim about the horrific experience. He said, “I was sleeping along with my nephews in the entrance hall of our rest house. Four masked men entered carrying guns, knives and cleavers. One of them hit me on the head. Two held the children and a fourth shot me with the gun which injured my eye.”

The unidentified victim added that they asked him where he kept his money. Feeling that he and his nephews were in danger, he showed them his thobe and told them that the money was in the pocket.

They kept threatening him, and said that if he provided any false or misleading information they would kill the children. Furthermore, they threatened to kill him and the children if he informed the authorities.

“One of them took my bank card and forced me to divulge my password. He took one child with him and said that he would kill him if the password were wrong. The other three stayed with me. When he came back, they threatened to burn me if I did not give him my mobile phone. They left taking one of the children hostage, and said that they would bring him back if I gave them SR200,000,” the victim said, adding that the gang asked him to phone them when he had the money ready.

When the criminals left the man called the police, who transferred him to hospital after documenting his statement. Police later arrested the gang.

Ahsan Talib, head of the Social Science Department in Naif University for Security Sciences, believes that there are three main causes that have led to the increasing number of crimes. First, people accept violence and apply it to their daily lives. He said that people practice financial, verbal and moral violence. The second cause is drugs and terrorism. The huge amount of violence that people are exposed to on TV and in children’s games is the third contributing factor.