A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat found dead at his home in Australia's capital, Canberra, had been stabbed in the throat, police said yesterday. The body of Mr Abdullah al-Ghamdi (54) was found late on Tuesday afternoon, lying in a pool of blood at his apartment.
The Saudi embassy said in a statement that the murdered first secretary had failed to report for work on Tuesday. "A member of the diplomatic mission was sent to his residence and after the door was opened al-Ghamdi was found lying on the floor in the kitchen in a pool of blood," the statement said.
The police would not comment specifically on possible motives, apart from saying it was unlikely there was an international aspect to the case.