An Egyptian teen was quick to deny that he'd taken a selfie with his now-deceased grandfather in a Medina hospital after Saudi online daily Al Watan reported Wednesday that Saudi Arabian authorities had launched an investigation into the viral selfie. On Friday, Al Watan said he'd deleted his Twitter account.
The boy posted the photo on Facebook with the caption “Goodbye Granddad,” causing outrage on social media. Saudi Twitter users reproached the teen for the "insensitive" and "irresponsible" act.
"This [should stand as an example] to never give children devices without [parental] surveillance."
The hospital in Medina where the picture was taken had come under fire for not having stricter policies. Saudi users accused the hospital of recklessness since they said it “failed to respect the dead man’s dignity.”
Abdul-Razak Hafedh, head of public relations and media in the Madinah area, told Al Watan that security authorities would take action against the boy “for his irresponsible behaviour and for his violation of public morals.”
This violation could be punishable by law, according to lawyer Saud Al-Harbi, speaking to Gulf News. Harbi called the teenager’s action a “terrible provocation” that reflects “attitudes that are not condoned in any way by [the Saudi society’s] values or traditions.”
The boy, thought to be from Alexandria, Egypt, later posted a status on Facebook claiming that he'd been misunderstood.
"I want to know what was so funny about my picture with granddad. Granddad died, and this picture [was taken] before he died by a day. The people who reposted this picture are making fun of me. What sick and filthy people."
Many came to his support, citing the rapidity in which people believed the story without checking its validity.
"[First], the boy took the selfie a day before his grandfather died... Second, he's not Saudi, he's Egyptian. Next time verify."
"It was a false story. Unfortunately, the [habit] of verifying the news' validity is null with many Twitter users!!"