A man in Pekanbaru, Riau stabbed an imam at a mosque in the city yesterday evening, with police saying that the alleged culprit may be mentally unstable.
According to reports, the incident occurred right after the victim, 36-year-old Yazid Umar, led the evening prayer at the mosque. CCTV footage from the incident, which has been making the rounds online, shows the alleged culprit, a 24-year-old man with the initials IM, running at the imam with a knife in hand and attempting to stab him several times.
Worshippers then came between IM and the imam before apprehending the attacker and handing him over to the police.
“[The first stab attempt] missed. The second hit [the imam] in the left side of his chest. We will conduct a mental exam for the suspect,” Pekanbaru Police Chief Nandang Mu’min Wijaya said.
A mental examination is required in this case after it was revealed that IM had gone for consultations with the imam for “stress,” which, in general Indonesian understanding of the mental state, ranges from being stressed out to clinical depression.
Reports say that IM saw the imam for a ruqyah (Islamic exorcism), which is believed to be able to ward off feelings of depression, among other things, through spiritual means. IM allegedly was not satisfied with the outcome of the ruqyah and was upset with the imam.
IM may face criminal charges pending the results of his mental examination.
The victim, meanwhile, was not badly wounded by the stabbing and does not require extensive medical treatment.
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