The funeral of Nahid Almanea, the Saudi student who was murdered in UK was attended by thousands of people on Saturday. 31-year-old Almanea who was a student at the University of Essex was stabbed 16 times in broad daylight in Colchester last Tuesday.
Her body arrived in Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia early Saturday morning and was later laid to rest. A 19-year-old man from Colchester and a 52-year old man who were arrested in connection with Almanea’s murder were both released after it was established that neither had a relation to the case.
CCTV footage taken from a local newsagent showed Ms Almanea’s last movements as she headed for the footpath on Tuesday morning wearing a hijab and an abaya.
Police are considering the possibility that she was targeted because of her traditional Saudi dress. They are also investigating similarities between Almanea’s death and the murder of James Attfield, a vulnerable man with brain damage who died after being stabbed more than 100 times in a park in Colchester on March 29.
Almanea arrived in Britain several months back with her younger brother to study for her PhD in life sciences at the University of Essex where more than 200 Saudi nationals study.
