Saudi father kills son, 11, with knife

Abdullah taken out of school and driven to isolated area before being slaughtered

 Abdullah was in his classroom in the southern region of Jizan when his father asked to take him home before taking him to an isolated area where he took out a knife and slaughtered him.

Manama: A father in Saudi Arabia took his 11-year-old son out of school before driving the boy to an isolated area and killing him with a knife.

Abdullah was in his fourth grade classroom in the southern region of Jizan when his father asked to take him home.

Instead, the father, aged in his 40s, took him to an isolated area where he took out a knife and slaughtered him. He then drove to a police security post and surrendered himself, Saudi daily Al Watan reported on Wednesday.

Police followed the father's directions and found the lifeless body of Abdullah.

Relatives said the father had recently been released from prison after serving time for attempting to run over his uncle following a family dispute. He lived alone after  separating from his wife.

Abdullah lived with his grandfather. The relatives said the father was going through a difficult period and had secluded himself.

Neighbours said he often talked to himself and was often seen asking people for drugs.

The education district said it had launched an investigation to determine how the father was allowed to take his son out of school. The district said it wanted to assess whether the normal procedures taken in such cases had been followed.