Middle East studies in the News

Al-Zahrani's Roommates React to Stabbing [incl. Richard Antoun]

WBNG News (Binghamtom, NY)
December 5, 2009

http://www.wbng.com/news/local/78616187.html

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/8799

Al-Zahrani lived at 209 Main Street in the City of Binghamton for the past 3 weeks.

He shared the apartment with two other BU graduate students.

His roommates describe him as confrontational, anxious and financially unstable.

They say he would create tension in the house, and behave strangely.

And at one point, said he wanted to destroy the world.

"I was cooking, he came out and asked me if I was afraid of death or not, without any context, when I went to answer he went back to his room," said Souleymane "Jules" Sakho.

"He would scream on the phone sometimes in Arabic and that was one of the things that kind of bothered me because he just moved in and would leave his door open and just scream on the phone," said Luis Pena.

Police spent several hours searching the apartment this morning.

Al-Zahrani is a Saudi national.

His roommates say he was working on his dissertation with the Anthropology department.

He knew Professor Antoun through work in that program.

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

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