Father of 11-year-old 'suicide' victim in Saudi Arabia denies claims

The death of an 11-year-old boy in Saudi Arabia has garnered massive attention and debate. 

Back in February, Saudi media reported the alleged suicide of Abdul Majeed Al Ghamdi, a young boy who was found dead in his bedroom on an afternoon, hanged by a wire. 

Several local media outlets quoted sources from Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecution, saying the recent tragic death was ruled a suicide spurred by the overuse of social media. His death, it appears, was caused by an electric wire tied to his wardrobe and around his neck.

Sources told local media outlets that investigations into the case revealed the child committed suicide because he hadn't been getting enough likes on posts he uploaded on social media. 

They also added that the boy was desperate to become famous online and had regularly been posting videos to various platforms. Before his death, the child posted three clips of himself talking about "jinn in deserted places," but none of his footage got major views.

After his death, authorities found the electronic game PUBG (PlayerUnknown's BattleGround) on his mobile phone, as some claimed he was addicted to playing it. However, relatives who knew the deceased refuted these claims. 

In the wake of reports confirming his suicide, the boy's father, Awad Al Ghamdi, refuted the reports in a statement he made to Rotana Khalijiya's TV program Ya Hala. The man said he doesn't think his son committed suicide because he had been cheerful and happy in the weeks leading up to his death. 

"He was a happy, loved child and he had absolutely no reason to commit suicide. He wasn't addicted to electronic games, he just loved watching humorous videos online and I used to watch them with him." 

Al Ghamdi added that he thought his son's death was accidental. When asked about the results of the official investigations into the case, he couldn't refute that his child had several videos on his phone about jinn. Nevertheless, with understanding his son's desire to become famous, the father stressed that this doesn't mean he committed suicide.

"Public Prosecution officers didn't say anything about a suicide, they didn't mention that to us. My son didn't commit suicide, he couldn't have done that and those saying he did are wrong," he explained. 

Though Al Ghamdi's father vehemently denied his son's suicide, experts who reviewed the case thought it was possible the child's frustration over not getting online attention got the better of him. 

Speaking to Saudi Gazette, psychiatrist Arwa Arab urged parents to closely follow their children's online activities to notice any problems that may arise if they were to misuse the internet. 

She also explained that some children can easily be influenced by what they watch on the Internet. 

"The families who do not watch their children while they are on the Internet will be committing a grave mistake and should be held responsible," she warned. 

She also said parents must monitor their children's use of electronic games as some of them may affect a child's "beliefs, personality and behavior."