Wisconsin city raises $20K to find killer of Saudi student
MENOMONIE, Wis. — A reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man who beat a Saudi student to death along Main Street amid Halloween weekend revelry has grown to $20,000.
Residents of this northwestern Wisconsin community and employees of the University of Wisconsin-Stout began pooling their money Tuesday and quickly collected $15,000. The Council of American-Islamic Relations Minnesota Chapter added another $5,000 Wednesday though it's not part of the reward fund administered through the Community Foundation of Dunn County.
By early evening Wednesday, teams of Saudi and American students together fanned out across this city about 70 miles east of Minneapolis to post hundreds of fliers announcing the reward.
News of the death of Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, of Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, from injuries he received around 2 a.m. CT Sunday outside a pizza parlor two blocks from campus quickly spread overseas via social media. Saudi students said they expected the reward fund to continue growing as news of it traveled to Saudi Arabia.
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Police don't know the motive for the attack and haven't identified a suspect, Menomonie Police Chief Eric Atkinson said at a Wednesday news conference.
"We will not dismiss the possibility this is a hate crime" until the assailant — described only as a white male, about 6 feet tall — is arrested, he said.
The police chief extended his condolences to Alnahdi's family and friends, and called the death tragic and unnecessary.
"As we mourn, we cannot lose sight of the path of justice we must follow," he said. "We are respectfully asking the community to come forward with any information."
The campus with 9,600 students has a close-knit Saudi community of 142 students. While security has not been increased, campus police have encouraged students to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Some anxious parents in Saudi Arabia have warned their kids to be careful and have gone as far as telling them to leave home only for class and keep their doors locked, student Omar Alkohmos said during the news conference.
Alkohmos was Alnahdi's first interpreter when the young man arrived on campus.
"There's no words to say," he told reporters, his voice emotional. "We are waiting for the police department to release some answers."
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Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations Minnesota Chapter was on campus Wednesday and spoke during the news conference in the campus Memorial Student Center.
"With the rise of Islamophobia, that rhetoric has created an unsafe environment for Muslims no matter where they are," Hussein said. At the same time, he considered it encouraging to see the community come together to emotionally support students and offer a reward for information leading to the arrest of the assailant.
"This is a critical time not only for Menomonie but also our nation," Hussein said.
A memorial service for Alnahdi is planned for at 5 p.m. Thursday in the amphitheater outside the student union building.
Friends and instructors have described Alnahdi as a bright, energetic young man who worked hard at his studies, smiled often and had many American friends, including four roommates from Wisconsin.
Alnahdi came to the U.S. and UW-Stout in August 2015, knowing only a few words of English. He quickly made friends — both American and Saudi.
He was enrolled in the English as a Second Language Institute and planned to study business administration once he finished that program.
Among the messages posted at a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles outside the pizza parlor where the beating occurred was a note with hearts drawn around the border.
"Dear Hussain," it said. "I didn't know you, but I cried for you. There are no words for what happened. I hope that you may find peace. Your are not forgotten."
Said another note: "This is NOT who we are! Rest in peace, Hussain."
UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer met Tuesday night with a group of 55 students, including close friends of Alnahdi, to discuss the campus memorial service and efforts to provide support. Many of Alnahdi's best friends are Americans, the chancellor said.
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While Meyer was in the evening meeting with students, a local businessman stopped by his house.
The man had been out of town and was driving home when he heard the news on the radio that a Saudi student had been beaten to death over the weekend, Meyer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The businessman wanted to put $5,000 toward the reward fund.
Meyer said his email inbox filled with notes from alumni around the world, including Saudis who had returned to their home country after graduating.
Many of the Saudi alums offered advice for how the campus could move forward through its grief and anxiety and build stronger relationships between the broader community and international students.
Members of Congress, state officials from both sides of the aisle, fellow colleagues within the University of Wisconsin System community, and others from across the state have emailed condolences and support, which Meyer described as a positive outpouring that lifted his spirits.
"Your emotions are up in your throat," the chancellor said, his eyes red as he apologized for being emotional. "It's tough because you see students hurting, faculty hurting. Administrators are human."
Several of the students that Meyer met with Tuesday night had kept vigil at the hospital with their Saudi friend, and were there when he died Monday afternoon, the chancellor said.
"The amount of affection for Hussain was very evident," he said. Meyer plans to write a letter to the young man's parents.
"I have two daughters who studied abroad, and your thoughts go to the family and what they must be going through halfway around the world," he said. "As a parent, you worry: Are they safe? Are they in a healthy environment?"
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The chancellor, who has worked at the university for 28 years, said he never imagined what happened Sunday because it was out of character for UW-Stout and Menomonie.
"That's what is so shocking," he said. "We view ourselves as a very safe community for our international students. That perception has been shattered, and we've got to put that back together. We have to reach out broadly to the wider community. I'm very optimistic we can do that."
The chancellor said many questions remain to be answered: "What could we have done to prevent it? How can we prevent it in the future?"
The dean of students is working with a government liaison for the family to find out what they need. A memorial book is being assembled to send to them, including notes from fellow students, Meyer said.
Alnahdi's family is aware of the outpouring of support and grief for their son, said Michael Lee, an international student adviser.
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"They're very aware and grateful for it," he said.
John Behling, vice president of the UW System Board of Regents, also happens to be the city attorney for Menomonie and handled the details of setting up the reward fund.
Behling released the following statement:
As a member of the Board of Regents, as well as an attorney for the city of Menomonie, I am saddened and shocked at this tragic event. My thoughts, condolences and prayers go out to Hussain's family, the UW-Stout campus, and the entire community. I am, however, encouraged by the strong outpouring of support by our citizens and community leaders who have come forward to offer a reward for more details leading to the arrest of the perpetrator.
Earlier Wednesday, a police official said several people had witnessed the beating and investigators were following leads, including checking video from surveillance cameras in the area.
Todd Swartz, commander of operations for the Menomonie Police Department, also said police think that the beating was an isolated incident.
"We feel that everyone in the community is safe and there's not a continued threat," he said. The suspect was last seen running west on Main Street.
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An autopsy was done Monday in Madison, but the report wasn't back yet, Swartz said.
Meanwhile, several Saudi students said they feel safe at UW-Stout.
Freshman Abdurrahman Alfarras said he hadn't told his parents that a fellow Saudi student was beaten to death because he didn't want them to worry.
"We don't feel threatened or afraid because we have faith in the Menomonie community, and we shouldn't let a bad man change this idea that we have," Alfarras said.
Linda Bark, who recently retired from UW-Stout as an English as a Second Language instructor, said she felt compelled to "stand for Hussain" at the makeshift memorial. She encouraged those who stopped by Tuesday night to write a message on a poster board that would be sent to Alnahdi's family in Saudi Arabia.
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"His mother can't be here, so I am," said Bark, who taught Alnahdi. "I'm the Wisconsin mother."
Saudis make up the largest segment of international enrollment on the campus about 250 miles northwest of Milwaukee and about 175 miles northwest of the University of Wisconsin's flagship in Madison. Of 295 international students from 35 countries, 142 are Saudi, according to the university's English as a Second Language Institute.
Years ago, a junior college in Saudi Arabia had a transfer agreement with UW-Stout, which started the influx that has since continued by word of mouth.
Follow Karen Herzog on Twitter: @HerzogJS
