A MAN arrested in connection with the grisly murder of a Bahraini imam broke down in tears as he confessed to his wife hours before his arrest, the GDN has learnt.
Mother-of-two Dalia Siddique Akhi, from Bangladesh, said her husband admitted to her that he ordered the assassination of the imam, father-of-10 Shaikh Abduljalil Hmood, shortly before he was arrested.
She told the GDN in an exclusive interview that her 39-year-old husband, a muezzin at the same mosque where the imam was murdered, was originally taken into custody after Shaikh Hmood was reported missing on Saturday.
He was later released in the early hours of Sunday, but then rearrested after he was allegedly caught trying to dispose of the victim’s dismembered body parts.
“On Saturday afternoon police took him after the imam went missing and he came back very late, around 3am,” said Ms Akhi.
“He looked disturbed and was sleepless.
“The next morning he confessed to me that he had asked some men to kill the imam and was supposed to pay them.
“I got scared and I didn’t know what to tell him. He was crying.
“He left home in the afternoon and later I heard he was arrested again.”
However, she said he did not share details of the brutal way in which Shaikh Hmood was butchered by up to seven men armed with knives.
“I don’t know where he (the muezzin) went,” she said.
“He told me he knew about the crime, but I am not sure how he did it or how many others were involved.”
In a frank interview at their Muharraq home, which the couple share with their four-year-old daughter and 14-month-old son, she said her husband had been arguing with Shaikh Hmood since last August.
She said the tension was sparked by the muezzin’s activities outside work hours.
The Bangladesh Embassy has already confirmed the muezzin had been blacklisted by diplomats for running an illegal visa racket.
Ms Akhi said her husband’s contract was terminated by the Sunni Endowments Directorate on Thursday, based on a complaint by Shaikh Hmood, and the family faced the prospect of leaving Bahrain.
“He told me on Thursday that we have two months to look for another job,” she said.
The family live in a one-room flat adjacent to the Bin Shiddah Mosque, where Shaikh Hmood’s killers are said to have ambushed him.
Her 39-year-old husband has allegedly confessed to police his role in the murder, which took place in a mosque bathroom on Saturday morning.
A manhunt has been launched for six alleged accomplices, while police yesterday questioned Ms Akhi about the incident.
Diplomats from the Bangladesh Embassy are now offering her consular support.
“We will be following up the case and will arrange repatriation of the family as soon as they are released,” said Bangladesh Embassy labour consul Shaikh Tahidul Islam.
Meanwhile, the wife of Shaikh Hmood confirmed that he and the muezzin had been at loggerheads for some time.
“He’s been complaining about the Bangladeshi since last year,” a shocked Adeeba Hassan told the GDN.
“Since he became imam the Bangladeshi has been bothering him and he filed many complaints about him.
“He complained the Bangladeshi was not leading a straight life and didn’t adhere to his working hours.
“The Bangladeshi goes and works in construction and he washes cars – he does everything like he’s not a muezzin.”
Shaikh Hmood’s funeral is due to take place today and his brother-in-law, Bakeel Al Zeyadi, said the family was still coming to terms with what happened.
“The family is still in shock,” he said.
He added others allegedly involved in the murder had vanished.
“At least four more men were with him (the alleged killer) and they are all missing,” he said.
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