Mourning Iraqi father jumps to his death during Hajj

A 43-year-old Iraqi man whose son had recently passed away committed suicide on Friday by jumping from the Grand Mosque in Mecca in front of thousands of fellow pilgrims.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A 43-year-old Iraqi man whose son had recently passed away committed suicide on Friday by jumping from the Grand Mosque in Mecca in front of thousands of fellow pilgrims.

Spokesperson for the Iraqi Hajj Delegation Hassan Fahd al-Qanani told Al Arabiya that the man's name was Hussein Hamid al-Haidari, that he was from Baghdad, and that he had traveled to perform the Muslim religious rite of the Hajj with his mother, who was listed as "in critical condition following her son's suicide."

He also said that Haidari had been "struggling emotionally and psychologically following the death of his only son a few months ago."

According to local media, wrote Al Arabiya, "Haidari was repeating in high tone a prayer known among the Shiites, mentioning in it the name of Iraqi religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr before he committed suicide, throwing himself from the rooftop to the ground floor of the Grand Mosque."

The Saudi Hajj Central Committee reported that the fall killed him instantly and also injured two others who were receiving medical treatment.

In two separate incidents in June, and a man from Bangladesh and another from France committed suicide at Mecca in the same way.