Deaths of Tala and Rotana Farea

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Tala Farea
Born2002
Died2018 (aged 1516)
Cause of death Suicide (officially)
Body discoveredOctober 24, 2018
Known forSuicide pact with her sister
Rotana Farea
Born1995
Saudi Arabia
Died2018 (aged 2223)
New York City, U.S.
Cause of death Suicide (officially)
Body discoveredOctober 24, 2018
Known forSuicide pact with her sister

On October 24, 2018, the bodies of 16 year old Tala and 23 year old Rotana Farea were found along rocky banks of the Hudson River. [1] [2] The bodies were bound with duct tape and the NYPD concluded there had been no foul play. [3] Police determined that their deaths were part of a suicide pact. Both of the sisters were last seen by their family in Virginia on November 30, 2017. [4] Before disappearing, the sisters lived in a "shelter-like" facility due to abuse allegations in their district. [4] A witness claimed he saw the two sisters 30 feet apart with their heads in their hands and that they appeared to be praying. [5] [6]

Contents

The sisters had been missing from their home for several weeks. [7] [8] [9]

The medical examiner ruled that the sisters killed themselves. [10] [11]

Connection to Saudi Arabia

New York Police have sources that the sisters would "Rather kill themselves than return to Saudi Arabia". [12] The sisters' mother told local media that the Saudi embassy in Washington had ordered the family to leave the U.S. [13] But Saudi Arabia refuted that stating, "Reports that we ordered anyone related to the Saudi sisters, Tala and Rotana Farea, God rest their souls, (who recently died tragically in NY), to leave the US for seeking asylum; are absolutely false. Details are still under investigation and will be shared in due course.'' [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Two major bombings took place in residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 12 May 2003, 39 people were killed, and over 160 wounded when bombs went off at three compounds in Riyadh—Dorrat Al Jadawel, Al Hamra Oasis Village, and the Vinnell Corporation Compound. On 8 November, a bomb was detonated outside the Al-Mohaya housing compound west of Riyadh, killing at least 17 people and wounding 122, mostly Arab foreigners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Saudi Arabia</span>

Human rights in Saudi Arabia are a topic of concern and controversy. Known for its executions of political protesters and opponents, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been accused of and denounced by various international organizations and governments for violating human rights within the country. An absolute monarchy under the House of Saud, the government is consistently ranked among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights and was in 2023 ranked as the world's most authoritarian regime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Saudi Arabia</span>

Terrorism in Saudi Arabia has mainly been attributed to Islamic extremists. Their targets included foreign civilians—Westerners affiliated with its oil-based economy—as well as Saudi Arabian civilians and security forces. Anti-Western attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1995. Saudi Arabia itself has been accused of funding terrorism in other countries, including Syria.

The United States Department of Defense (DOD) had stopped reporting Guantanamo suicide attempts in 2002. In mid-2002 the DoD changed the way they classified suicide attempts, and enumerated them under other acts of "self-injurious behavior".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamal Khashoggi</span> Assassinated Saudi journalist and dissident (1958–2018)

Jamal Ahmad Hamza Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist, dissident, author, columnist for Middle East Eye and The Washington Post, and a general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibrahim al-Asiri</span> 21st-century member of al-Qaeda

Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri was a citizen of Saudi Arabia suspected of being chief bomb-maker of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was reported to have been responsible for making the bombs used by his brother Abdullah al-Asiri in his suicide bombing, the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot, the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot, and the May 8th 2012 Terror Plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen</span> Ongoing conflict

The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Yemen. It is a part of the Global War on Terror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Abdus-Salaam</span> American judge and lawyer (1952-2017)

Sheila Abdus-Salaam was an American lawyer and judge. In 2013, after having served on the New York City Civil Court, the New York Supreme Court, and the Appellate Division, Abdus-Salaam was nominated to the New York Court of Appeals and was unanimously confirmed as an Associate Judge by the New York State Senate. She was the first African-American female judge to serve on the New York Court of Appeals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed bin Salman</span> Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since 2017

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, also known as MBS or MbS, is the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, formally serving as Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He is the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and the grandson of the nation's founder, Ibn Saud.

The modern history of Saudi Arabia begins with the declaration of the unification of Saudi Arabia in a single kingdom in 1932. This period of time in Saudi Arabia's history includes the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and many events. It goes on to encompass Saudi Arabia's brief involvement in World War II in 1945. Afterwards, it includes Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Western Bloc and the Cold War. It also includes Saudi Arabia's proxy conflict with Iran, the Arab Spring, and the ongoing Arab Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemeni civil war (2014–present)</span> Ongoing civil war in the state of Yemen

The Yemeni civil war is an ongoing multilateral civil war that began in late 2014 mainly between the Rashad al-Alimi-led Presidential Leadership Council and the Mahdi al-Mashat-led Supreme Political Council, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war</span> Saudi war against Houthis in Yemen launched in 2015

On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa, launched a military intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 by Houthi insurgents during the Yemeni Civil War. Efforts by the United Nations to facilitate a power sharing arrangement under a new transitional government collapsed, leading to escalating conflict between government forces, Houthi rebels, and other armed groups, which culminated in Hadi fleeing to Saudi Arabia shortly before it began military operations in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency</span> Separatist insurgency in Iran

The Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency is an ongoing low-intensity asymmetric conflict in Sistan and Baluchestan Province between Iran and several Baloch Sunni militant organizations designated as terrorist organizations by the Iranian government. It began in 2004 and is part of the wider Balochistan conflict.

On 4 July 2016, four suicide bombs exploded in three locations in Saudi Arabia. One of these exploded in the parking lots of the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, killing at least four people. The second and third suicide bombers targeted a Shia mosque in Qatif, but they failed to harm anyone but themselves. A fourth militant blew himself up after police tried to arrest him near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah. Two Saudi Arabian police officers were injured.

The following lists events in the year 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

Path of Blood is a 2018 British documentary film directed by Jonathan Hacker and sourced from several hundred hours of Al Qaeda footage captured by Saudi Arabian security services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi</span> 2018 murder in Istanbul, Turkey

On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident journalist, was killed by agents of the Saudi government at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was ambushed and strangled by a 15-member squad of Saudi operatives. His body was dismembered and disposed of in some way that was never publicly revealed. The consulate had been secretly bugged by the Turkish government and Khashoggi's final moments were captured in audio recordings, transcripts of which were subsequently made public.

References

  1. Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Southall, Ashley (29 October 2018). "2 Sisters Were Found Dead in the River, Duct-Taped Together. Police Have Few Answers". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  2. Batrawy, Aya (11 November 2018). "Sisters' tragic end in NY shows perils for female Saudi runaways". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  3. Lapin, Tamar (2018-10-27). "Dead women found duct-taped at UWS park identified as missing sisters". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  4. 1 2 Andone, Dakin; Karimi, Faith; Morales, Mark (November 2, 2018). "Sisters found in Hudson River would have rather died than return to Saudi Arabia, police say". CNN. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  5. Katersky, Aaron; Winsor, Morgan (2018-11-04). "Sisters found dead in river preferred suicide over returning to Saudi Arabia: Police". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  6. Jovenal, Justin (2 November 2018). "No indication Saudi sisters found dead and bound with duct tape in NYC were killed, authorities say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  7. Jouvenal, Justin (1 November 2018). "'I don't know where my daughters are': Odd encounter deepens mystery surrounding disappearance and deaths of Saudi sisters". The Washington Post . Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  8. Jackman, Tom (28 October 2018). "Deaths of Fairfax sisters found along New York's Hudson River remain a mystery". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  9. Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Winston, Ali (2 November 2018). "Saudi Sisters, Seeking Asylum, May Have Committed Suicide, Police Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  10. "Saudi sisters killed themselves, says medical examiner". AOL. AP. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  11. Tacopino, Joe (22 January 2019). "Deaths of Saudi sisters found duct-taped ruled suicides". New York Post. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  12. "Sisters Maxed Credit Cards In Spending Spree Before Their Deaths, Eyed As Possible Suicides, Cops Say". Oxygen Official Site. 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  13. "Saudi Arabia denies involvement in death of sisters in New York". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  14. "Saudi Arabia denies involvement in mysterious death of sisters in New York". Newsweek. 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2018-11-13.