Two Washington parents, Ihsan Ali and Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, have been charged with the attempted murder of their daughter. They allegedly tried to strangle their teenage daughter in an "honor killing" outside her high school on October 18, 2024.
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This violent incident took place outside Timberline High School in Lacey, according to KOMO News. Court records reveal that the 17-year-old victim had refused an arranged marriage. This would have seen her married to an older man in Iraq. "Her father had recently been threatening her with honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another country," the victim told police.
Josh Wagner, a witness of the attack, talked with the outlet and revealed specific details of the incident. Wagner, who was passing by in his vehicle, saw what he believed were kids fighting outside the school. However, when he attempted to break the fight, he found out, horrified, that it was an adult man who was choking a teenager. He would then find out it was the girl's father.
"The dad was on his back, and his daughter was on top of him, and he had her in a chokehold," Wagner said. "It was pretty angering. I didn't know what was going on, or why it was happening. All the kids were screaming, yelling."
Violent Act
Wagner, the teenager's boyfriend, and other students were attempting to stop Ihsan Ali from killing his daughter. Court records detail that Ali was choking the teenager so badly that "she had lost consciousness." At the same time, Zahraa, the girl's mother, was also grabbing and choking her. Ihsan Ali would also punch his daughter's boyfriend in the face, according to court records.
Eventually, Wagner was able to immobilize Ihsan Ali while the police arrived. The teenager then ran inside the high school, screaming that her dad was trying to kill her. "So then I just held him on the ground till the police arrived and then handcuffed him and searched him and then moved him to the police car," Wanger said.
According to the Daily Mail, Ihsan Ali and Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali were charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree attempted kidnapping, and second-degree domestic assault. Additionally, Ihsan Ali was charged with fourth-degree assault, while Zahraa was charged with second-degree burglary.
North Thurston Public School shared a statement with KOMO News, following the incident. "We work with families, staff, and law enforcement partners to maintain safety and security on our campuses, and we take student and staff safety extremely seriously," the statement reads. "When unique situations arise, we work with concerned parties to provide a safe learning environment, and we are doing so in this case"
