Brilio.net/en - Amokrane Sabet was a staple in Canggu life, a neighborhood in Northern Kuta on the tropical island of Bali. He was loud and often stormed down the street preaching about the coming of Jesus Christ.
"There had been many complaints about him such as eating at restaurants without paying, carrying a knife, and harassing people, but every time we called him in for questioning, he never showed up," Bali police spokesman Hery Wiyanto told AFP. He was the topic of much discussion on the Canggu Community Facebook group, and while many feared him, some would say he was harmless. It was even cited that when he had his good moments, he would pay for your groceries in line.
Yet when officials found out that his visa had run out in September, around 40 police officers were led to his house, when he emerged brandishing a knife. A scary sight for anyone, especially coming from a former MMA fighter.
The 49-year old French national was on the defensive and brandishing his knife and resisting arrest after several warning shots were fired when he stabbed local officer Anak Agung Putu Sudiarta.
Social media went wild with sympathy for the police officer and father of three. One user commented on the Canggu Community facebook page, saying: This man died today when he tried to do his duty to keep the neighborhood safe and peaceful. The true hero and victim. His wife and children will never see him again forever. RIP. Thank you sir!
Sabet also lost his life after the fateful incident. Viral video footage is circulating the internet and 14 shots can be heard fired, with the last one going to Sabets head. It is said the he was suffering from a mental disorder and desperately needed treatment, as he often believed himself to be a messiah and had a god complex.
Even freakier is that Sabets Facebook page was updated hours after he died.
A further autopsy conducted at the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar revealed that the French national might not have died from the bullets after all, and instead may have been stabbed by his own knife as he was wrestling with Officer Sudiarta. In total, 36 wounds were found on Sabets body, with 24 coming from the rubber bullets the officers used and the remaining 12 wounds were in the neck and from a sharp object.
We were nervous that there would be more victims because there were bystanders during the incident. So, the leaders on the field took action to disarm him. We actually wanted to come and go in peace, inviting him to our office. But Amokrane behaved brutally towards us, Bali Police Spokesman Hery Wiyanto explained.
At any rate, our thoughts go out to the family of the police officer who valiantly lost his life, and to Sabet, who never got the treatment he so desperately needed that could have prevented this in the first place.
(brl/red)
