One of the last places you'd think a person would get stabbed at is a wedding venue, but that's exactly what happened in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
On Thursday, Saudi groom Walid bin Awad was stabbed at a joint wedding party held to celebrate his wedding and his elder brother's recent union.
The two brothers had gotten married on the same day and invited hundreds of their relatives to attend the celebrations at a ballroom located in Khamis Mushait.
Just after dinner was served to guests, a man walked in, asked for the victim by name, and immediately stabbed him.
In a statement to Rotana Khalijiya's Ya Hala program, the victim's father, Awad bin Saeed, shared details of the incident and said the attacker was arrested and is being interrogated by police.
"We were celebrating my son's wedding and the union of his elder brother. The ballroom we were in was huge and there were so many guests. After everyone had dinner and started to leave, an unknown man entered the ballroom. We thought he was one of the guests at first. He asked for Walid by name and rushed towards him. My son thought he was a well-wisher and greeted him, but before he could reach out, the man had stabbed him," he said.
After the attack, several men tackled the stabber and were able to hold him down. They later found he was also hiding a loaded gun under his clothes.
"My son's uncles and friends wanted to kill this man right then and there. I stopped them and locked him into a small room until authorities arrived at the scene and arrested him. Walid was immediately taken to a local hospital and had to have surgery. He is now in intensive care and we pray that he gets better," he added.
Bin Saeed also explained that the family doesn't yet know what the attacker's motives were.
Just hours after the stabbing, news of it circulated on Saudi Twitter and left thousands shocked.
*Graphic photos and videos of the crime scene continue to circulate online but we refrain from sharing them in line with ethical standards.
Saudis are shocked by this crime
"He [the attacker] was greeted and welcomed, then he betrayed everyone."
"I ask God to heal you Walid. Please pray for him"
"May God grant his bride patience"
"Does anyone know if his medical condition is stable now?"
Bin Awad's relatives have since issued an update on his condition
Speaking to Sabq news site, one of the groom's relatives said the stabbing victim continues to be hospitalized in critical condition but has shown signs of improvement.
"His surgery succeeded and his organs are slowly getting back to normal. We ask people to pray for him," the man said.
The family now hopes bin Awad's medical condition keeps on getting better.
