Same Story - Two Versions

A 30-year old man shot a woman in Jeddah on Monday. The Arab News version is here, and the Saudi Gazette version is here.

The Arab News headline, "Youth attempts suicide after killing woman" is misleading. A 30 year old man is not a "youth." The story is vague.

There are juicier details in the Saudi Gazette, which says: "The girl with her 24-year-old cousin had come to visit her aunt, who allegedly ran a brothel in her flat. After meeting their aunt the girls went to the flat of the Saudi man in the same building. They were with the man for about an hour when an altercation broke out between him and the girl's cousin." Sounds as if there was some sort of "love connection" involved because "the man suspected that the girl was having a relationship with someone else."

But... The "other version" of the story says that "the murdered girl stayed with her family in a rented apartment in the building for months. The suspected murderer rented an apartment a day before the crime." So, if there was a "love connection" this wasn't just a random crime, but premeditated?

It is all rather convoluted. No matter. The police will sort it out. "The girl and her aunt are in police custody. The aunt told the police that she did not know anything about the crime or the man or what kind of relationship they had." If - or when - further details are reported, I'll post them.