Wichita State University Student Gives Life Saving Others in Suicide Bombing

By Alison Lesley --
11 Jun 2015 --

Wichita State University student Abduljaleel Alarbash died saving the lives of many others by thwarting a suicide bombing at a Saudi Arabian Mosque.

Abduljaleel Alarbash, a 22 year old electrical engineering student at Wichita State University, was killed by a suicide bomber in outside a Shiite mosque in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Alarbash had returned to his homeland to get married. He was serving as a security guard outside a mosque, checking people as they entered for Friday prayer services. He encountered a suspicious male wearing robes traditionally worn by females. So Alarbash, along with his brother and cousin, uncovered the face of the suspect, who then detonated the bomb, killing himself and the three others, said Alarbash’s father.

Alarbash has been hailed as a hero both in Saudi Arabia and back at Wichita State University. Mohammad Aljady, a fellow Wichita State student, said that Alarbash saved “hundreds of lives,” among them, Aljady’s father and several friends.

Heroes come in all colors, size and faiths Abduljaleel Alarbash shall not be forgotten pic.twitter.com/Z6067CDqqo
— Rick Sparfven (@Frettlessrick) June 6, 2015

Alarbash was a popular and well-respected student at Wichita State. Saeed Qaed AlGhamdi, the president of the Saudi Student Association at Wichita State University said that Alarbash was an “amazing guy” and that the entire association was mourned his death. Alice Newell, the director of the engineering career center at Wichita State, said that the way in which Alarbash passed tells a lot about what kind of person he was. She went on to say that he was a “pleasure to work with.”

The Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, took credit for the blast, its second such bombing in the past few weeks. On May 22, a similar bombing in the Shiite neighborhood of Qudayh took the lives of 21 and injured 81 more.

People are starting to gather at Wichita State's student center for a candlelight vigil for Abduljaleel Alarbash. pic.twitter.com/dMCtUYR1Yw
— Matt Riedl (@RiedlMatt) June 5, 2015