Saudi student tasered, arrested by US police during mental breakdown

Nofl Hassan Alatyah, a Saudi student in the U.S., was tasered and arrested by local police after he reportedly attacked motorists in Knoxville, Tennessee, earlier last month, according to Akhbaar24 news site.

During the Halloween Day attack, Alatyah, who reportedly suffers from mental health issues, pounded on car windows, kicked at vehicles and tried to stop drivers and passersby. 

According to Knox News, the nursing student, who is in the U.S. on a student visa, also "threw punches at police, who used a stun gun on him." 

He then attacked Tim Burchett, a Knoxville mayor, who happened to be passing through the area at the time. 

Speaking to Knox News, Burchett said he had received several calls from Saudi Arabia's embassy in the U.S. since the attack, and got an official apology for it. 

He also explained that an embassy representative offered him a check to cover damages made to his vehicle, but he said he refused it.

The attack took place at the Lake Loudon Boulevard and Neyland Drive intersection on October 31, but has now resurfaced on Saudi social media. 

The young Saudi student is now in being kept in a mental health institute and a Friday hearing into his case was just canceled due to his deteriorating condition.

In a statement he made on Friday, Alatyah's lawyer, Stephen Ross Johnson, said: "the teenager was awarded a scholarship by the Saudi government to pursue a degree in the medical profession and had no history of mental illness before he was granted a student visa."

"Nofl’s dream is to be a nurse so he can help people. All mental health providers agree that Nofl suffered an unforeseen mental health episode," Johnson added. 

Even though Alatyah was charged with several counts of assault and misconduct, his lawyer expects the charges will be dropped. 

“Since he was suffering from an unexpected mental break, Nofl is not guilty of any crimes,” Johnson said.

“We are focused on getting Nofl treated and safely home to his family in Saudi Arabia, who love and miss him very much and are concerned for him," he added.