Arab News | Families mourn loved ones killed in Houthi strike on Riyadh airport

JEDDAH: The King Khalid International Airport attack has left 12 people dead and 309 injured, some critically, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. The fatalities include four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and victims from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan.

As families and friends mourned their loved ones, tributes, funeral announcements, and prayers for the injured were shared on X.

Taqwa Radwan

A relative identified one of the Saudi victims as Taqwa Radwan in a post on X.

“With hearts accepting God’s will, we mourn the death of my cousin, Taqwa Radwan, who died yesterday following the Houthi attack on Riyadh airport,” the relative wrote.

“We ask God to accept her among the martyrs, forgive her, have mercy on her, grant her a place in paradise and make her grave a garden of paradise.

“To God we belong and to Him we shall return.”

Lamis Saad Al-Tihani

Abdullah Ahmed Asiri identified another Saudi victim as Lamis Saad Al-Tihani, the daughter of his niece, in a post on X.

He said Al-Tihani had died following the attack on King Khalid International Airport, while her mother, Iman Al-Tihani, sustained shrapnel wounds and was receiving treatment in a Riyadh hospital.

“To God we belong and to Him we shall return. My niece’s daughter passed away following yesterday’s brutal attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh,” he wrote.

“She was in her final year at university. Her mother sustained shrapnel injuries and wounds and is now being treated in a Riyadh hospital.

“I ask God to have mercy on Lamis Saad Al-Tihani and grant her mother, Iman Al-Tihani, a speedy recovery.”

Munira Al-Anazi

A friend, identified as Ghada, announced funeral arrangements for Munira Al-Anazi in a post on X.

“The funeral prayer for my dear friend Munira, may God have mercy on her, will be held today after Asr prayers at Al-Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh,” she wrote.

Maryam Ibrahim Sulaiman Al-Namlah

Sulaiman Al-Namlah mourned the death of his aunt, Maryam Ibrahim Sulaiman Al-Namlah, in a post on X.

“My dear aunt, Maryam Ibrahim Sulaiman Al-Namlah, has passed away following the brutal and cowardly terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport,” he wrote.

“May God forgive her, have mercy on her, accept her among the martyrs, grant her a place in paradise and comfort our hearts.”

He said her funeral prayers would be held on Monday after Asr prayers at Al-Rajhi Mosque.

Azza Ramzi

Egyptian flight attendant Azza Ramzi, 28, was killed while on duty at King Khalid International Airport, according to Al Arabiya.

The broadcaster reported that Ramzi, who worked for Saudi carrier Flynas, died from severe injuries sustained in the attack.

Her death prompted an outpouring of grief in her hometown of Mahmoudiya in Egypt’s Beheira Governorate, where relatives, friends and residents shared tributes and condolences on social media.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also paid tribute in a statement posted on X.

“It is with profound sadness that I mourn Azza Ramzi, who died in the attacks on Riyadh airport,” he wrote.

“At the president’s direction, I am following up on the condition of the five injured people to ensure they receive the necessary care. I reaffirm Egypt’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its condemnation of these attacks.”

Al Hadath anchor Doha Al-Zohairy recalled meeting Ramzi on a flight between Riyadh and Cairo.

“When I heard that an Egyptian flight attendant had died, I immediately contacted two Egyptian flight attendants I had met on one of my frequent journeys between Riyadh and Cairo,” she wrote.

“They were returning from a holiday in Cairo. We sat next to one another and had such a pleasant conversation that we created a WhatsApp group to stay in touch and check on each other.

“I never imagined that I would discover today that one of them was the woman who died yesterday. I looked at the WhatsApp photograph and can hardly believe the news.

“May God have mercy on you, Azza, forgive you and grant patience to your sister Mona, your family and your loved ones. To God we belong and to Him we shall return.”

American victim

The American victim has not been publicly identified.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a US citizen was among those killed in the attack on King Khalid International Airport.

He wrote: “The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist Houthis, including today’s strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen.

“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now. We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.”