Man accused of selling dog meat

Last updated 4 min 6 sec ago

Sunday, 18 May 2014 | 19 Rajab 1435 AH

Riyadh police have arrested an expatriate man for allegedly selling dog meat from his home in Riyadh’s Monsiah district.
A Saudi citizen, quoted by local media, had tipped off the police about the Filipino expatriate selling meat, and claimed it was from a dog. The citizen had become suspicious because the expatriate did not work for a slaughterhouse.
The report, which did not reveal the nationality of the suspect, further alleges that a slaughterhouse body had confirmed the meat comes from a dog.
A former work colleague of the arrested man, who did not reveal his name, posted a comment on Facebook: “I know this guy from way back ... He was my office mate. He is a civil engineer, like me. I feel sad about the arrest.”
In a telephone interview later with Arab News, he said the suspect has been working for seven years as a civil engineer in the country, and must have been aware of the prohibition on selling dog meat. He surmised that the man must have tried to supplement his income by selling meat, such as fish and beef, in his free time.
Another man contacted by Arab News, who only wanted to be known as Rayan, said he met the suspect in jail.
Rayan said the man was planning to leave for the Philippines later this month and claimed he was innocent. The suspect claimed the Saudi citizen had asked him in Arabic about the meat. However, when he took time to respond because he did not understand Arabic, the citizen claimed it was dog meat, said Rayan, quoting the suspect.
Rayan said he did not believe the suspect sold dog meat. “I doubt it because as far as I know no one sells that kind of meat in Saudi Arabia.”