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Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Hero schoolboy cries as he reveals how he saved girlfriend when her parents 'tried to strangle her in honor killing'
A teenage boy cried on the witness stand as he told how he saved his girlfriend's life while her parents allegedly tried to strangle her in a religious 'honor killing'. Fatima Ali, now 18, was nearly killed in a chokehold by her father, Ihsan Ali, after she refused to travel to Iraq for an arranged marriage, prosecutors said. Isiah, whose full name is not being used as he is a minor, told Thurston County Superior Court in Washington how he punched Fatima's father in the head 30 or 40 times in a bid to stop the attack outside of Timberline High School on October 18. 'Her face was looking pale and her eyes were starting to roll back,' he said on Wednesday. When prosecutor Heather Stone asked him to elaborate, he broke down in tears, and his testimony had to be stopped. Ihsan Ali, 44, and his wife Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, are charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping of their daughter last year. They have been behind bars since the attack on bonds of $1 million and $500,000. Terrifying footage first published by the Daily Mail showed Ali put her in a chokehold on the ground until Isiah and bystanders rescued her. Ihsan and Zahraa are accused of attempting to carry out a Muslim 'honor killing' on Fatima for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man, prosecutors said. Fatima earlier told the court she fled her home at 6am with just a bag of clothes and $100 hours before she was supposed to be on a one-way trip to Najaf in Iraq. She met with her counselor at Timberline, who got her a place at Haven House, a youth crisis center, but the school didn't provide transport. Isiah, who was 16 at the time, escorted Fatima to the bus stop, and Ihsan was waiting when they arrived. He said: 'We're walking towards the bus stop and he starts to get more aggressive. We see the bus and then he grabbed her shoulder. 'I tried to push them away from each other. I look back at him and then he punches me. For a second I don't know what happened and then I saw him grab her.' Isiah bounced his leg as he told the court he 'flew back' from the force of the punch and watched as Ihsan 'spun Fatima around' and grabbed her by the throat. The teen boy demonstrated with his arms how Ihsan put Fatima in a 'headlock' on the ground and choked her even after she lost consciousness. 'I start punching him as he's choking her and other people around me are trying to get him off of her,' he said. 'She's gasping for air, trying to get his arms off her throat. At first she was trying to fight it, but then she went limp. It's chaotic, everyone is screaming.' Isiah said he kept punching Ihsan until 'his eyes closed and his grip released.' The teen boy broke a finger during the ordeal. Once Ihsan was restrained by a passing motorist, Isiah said he tried to get Fatima to her feet so they could go somewhere safe. That was when Zahraa and Fatima's eldest sister Haneen, 21, showed up. 'Her mother is screaming and she grabs Fatima around her throat area,' Isiah told the court. The boy said his neck was scratched and his chain was broken by Haneen. Fatima, who was 17 at the time, told the jury how her consciousness slipped away in her father's grasp. Stone asked Fatima, a petite 5ft 1in girl, what she was thinking as she struggled to stay alive. 'Heartbroken for what my dad did,' she said, before admitting she was scared she was going to die. She said: 'I saw darkness at first. [Then] I saw Isiah and a friend standing above me.' The trial is expected to continue for the rest of the month.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Teen describes moment she was choked by father in attempted 'honor killing' after refusing arranged marriage
A teenage girl sobbed as she told a court how she feared for her life as her own father choked her during an alleged 'honor killing'. Fatima Ali, 18, was giving evidence against her parents Ihsan Ali, 44, and mother Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, at their attempted murder trial on Tuesday. The couple are accused of trying to strangle their daughter outside Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, on October 18 last year. Terrifying footage first published by the Daily Mail before the trial, and shown to the court today, shows Ihsan put her in a chokehold on the ground until her boyfriend Isiah, classmates, and bystanders rescued her. Fatima, who was just 17 when she was attacked, bravely told the jury of the agonizing moments her consciousness slipped away in her father's grasp. The petite 5ft 1in girl weighting just 101lbs felt his arms around her throat and 'dirt on my face' from the ground, couldn't breathe, and had pain in her neck. Prosecutor Heather Stone asked what Fatima was thinking as she struggled to stay alive. 'Heartbroken for what my dad did,' she said. 'Did you have any fear?' Stone asked. 'Yes.' 'Fear of what?' 'Of dying,' Fatima choked out, her voice breaking into a sob. She was barely able to respond 'no' when asked if she could say anything during the attack. Fatima was in such a state that Thurston Superior Court Judge Christine Schaller called a recess. The teenager explained she lost consciousness four times during the attack and only has flashes of memory. 'I could see my hand reaching my neck... because I knew my dad was choking me,' she said of one of them. 'I saw darkness at first. [Then] I saw Isiah and a friend standing above me.' Ihsan and Zahraa are accused of attempting to carry out a Muslim 'honor killing' on Fatima 'for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another county'. Fatima told police at the time her father threatened her with the barbaric practice multiple times, and was furious she was dating an American boy. Her parents planned to send her to their home town of Najaf in Iraq on a one-way ticket hours before she sneaked out of the house about 6am with just $100 she took from her mother and a bag of clothes. Fatima told the court she never told her parents she didn't want to get on the plane because 'no matter what I say it doesn't really change'. When she got to Timberline, the school counselor helped her find a place at Haven House, a youth crisis center, and gave her a blanket and a laptop to continue her studies. But the school didn't offer her a ride to the shelter, so when school ended at 2pm she walked to the bus stop with Isiah, who was 16 at the time. They saw what they thought was Ihsan's pickup truck but hoped it wasn't. He was already at the bus stop when they arrived. Fatima testified that at first her father didn't appear angry as he asked her to come home with him, but she 'felt the energy and intensity [increase]'. '[I told him] I didn't wanna go back home,' she said. Did he accept that? 'No.' 'Every time that I backed away, he comes closer.' Fatima said Isiah was by he side patting her back to comfort her as she argued with her dad in Arabic, but this seemed to make Ihsan angrier. When the bus finally arrived, Fatima turned to get on it and Ihsan grabbed her hoodie and said 'my daughter' in Arabic, she told the court. Isiah tried to push Ihsan away, but footage from the bus cameras showed the much larger man punch him in the face and send him flying. With the teen boy out of the way, he went after his daughter, grabbing her by the throat as she tried to flee. The girl's boyfriend jumped to his feet and along with two others boys charged at Ihsan and tried to pull him away, knocking both to the ground. The boys began punching, kicking, and stomping Ihsan as he put his daughter in a chokehold and refused to let go despite the flurry of blows. Fatima told the court she woke up hearing her mother saying 'my daughter' and felt feels Zahraa holding onto her chest and her neck. Prosecutors and witnesses alleged Zahraa was trying to finished the honor killing by strangling Fatima after Ihsan was subdued. Fatima said she initially couldn't get up and eventually when she was pulled away from her mother's grasp and tried to walk away, her legs were weak. She said her older sister Haneen, 21, who is not charged with a crime, was holding on to her sleeve and she tried to get her to let go. Eventually Haneen released her and she ran towards the school. Fatima told the court she was trying to get away from mother and sister because 'I was afraid'. She said she couldn't have gotten away if she was alone, but wasn't asked if that meant she would have died. Fatima ran into the school office, pursued by her mother. 'I told them he (Ihsan) was trying to kill me,' she said. Prosecutors did not ask the teenagers about the years of abuse she told police her father subjected her and her siblings, or about Ihsan's alleged threats to kill her. Judge Schaller ruled prosecutors couldn't bring up the arranged marriage or allow Fatima to talk in detail about a family trip to Iraq when she was 16. She only told the court 'I felt unsafe' when she was there. Fatima told police in her interview last year that the trip made her fearful of being sent there to be married off and never allowed to return to the US. Ihsan's lawyer Erik Kaeding and Zahraa's attorney Tim Leary will continue cross-examining Fatima on Wednesday. Isiah is also expected to give evidence this week. Witnesses, including Isiah and Fatima's classmates, gave evidence earlier in the trial about what they saw during the horrifying attack. John Denicola, a bus driver who stopped to help and whose cameras recorded the melee, told the court how he frantically tried the save the girl. 'Obviously, she was in distress, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head, you could tell she was not able to breathe,' he said. 'The look on [Ihsan's] face and the way he was squeezing, he was choking her.' Denicola said Ihsan didn't say anything as he choked Fatima, but his eyes were 'wide open' and he 'was focused on his task at hand'. Josh Wagner, a motorist who stopped his car in the middle of the road and ran to help, described how he freed Fatima from her father's chokehold. 'Her face was changing color as she was being choked... she was gonna lose consciousness if it continued... it was very obvious she was being choked,' he told the court. Wagner, a 13-year US Army veteran, held Ihsan down until police arrived and handcuffed him. Both Denicola and Wagner said the dozens of punches and kicks Isiah and his classmates laid into Ihsan were ineffective at getting him to stop choking Fatima. Wagner's wife Mary Wagner described how Fatima ran in front of her behind the tree pursued by Zahraa and her eldest sister Haneen, 21, then ran towards the school - as shown on the video Wagner's wife Mary, who watched the attack from her car before crossing the road moments later after Fatima was back on her feet. 'She appeared incredibly confused, she seemed not to know what her surroundings were, she was in kind of a panic,' she said. 'She turned around and looked at me, and her eyes were huge, she had hair in her face, she looked completely disheveled, she looked very confused, absolutely terrified.' Two of the teens' classmates also testified on Tuesday to seeing Fatima in similar distress as her father choked her. Both Ihsan and Zahraa are charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, along with lesser crimes. They have been behind bars since soon after the attack on bonds of $1 million and $500,000. The trial is expected to continue for the rest of the month.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Terrifying never-seen-before footage shows father 'attempt honor killing' outside an American school
Timberline High could have been any American school on the afternoon of October 18 last year, minutes after the final bell rang. Teens in hoodies, jeans, and backpacks crowd along the road at the bus stop at 2.13pm, waiting to finally go home for the weekend. Suddenly, just as the bus arrives, three figures burst into view of the bus security cameras, grabbing, wrestling and throwing punches at each other. But this isn't some schoolyard brawl between boisterous teenagers - one of them is a grown man whom prosecutors allege is trying to murder his daughter. Terrifying footage obtained by the Daily Mail from the bus cameras shows the dramatic alleged crime, and the heroic response of the girl's classmates, for the first time. Ihsan Ali, 44, was allegedly attempting to carry out an 'honor killing' on the girl, aged 17, 'for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another county'. His wife, Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, allegedly tried to finish the job after the girl's 16-year-old boyfriend, other teens, and bystanders fought him off. The couple are behind bars after pleading not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, and their trial starts tomorrow. The girl, who can't be named, ran away from home in Lacey, Washington, after her parents tried to put her on a plane to Iraq, and allegedly threatened her with an honor killing days earlier. School officials arranged for her to stay at a women's shelter, but didn't provide her with transport so she and her boyfriend went outside to catch the bus. That's when Ihsan spotted them and demanded she come home, telling her 'Heron' in Arabic, which meant, 'It's not right, you're not supposed to be doing this'. He flew into a rage and attacked the couple, the melee spilling through the crowd and into view of the bus as the girl was slung to the ground. Ihsan then punched the boyfriend square in the face, sending him staggering back out of the frame and falling down hard on nearby concrete. With the teen boy out of the way, he went after his daughter, grabbing her by the throat as she tried to flee. The girl's boyfriend jumped to his feet and along with two others boys charged at Ihsan and tried to pull him away, knocking both to the ground. The boys began punching, kicking, and stomping Ihsan as he put his daughter in a chokehold and refused to let go despite the flurry of blows. Eventually, Ihsan went limp, knocked out cold from repeated blows to the head, and the teens were able to help the girl to her feet. The camera also caught Josh Wagner stop his black Dodge Ram in the middle of the road, get out, and hustle over to the brawl. Wagner held Ihsan on the ground after he regained consciousness until police arrived and hauled the violent father away in handcuffs. By now, a crowd had formed around the unconscious Ihsan and the girl, making it harder to see what was going on. The girl's eldest sister Haneen Ali 21, could be seen confronting the boyfriend and sticking a phone in his face before they scuffled and he was dragged away by a classmate. Seconds later it appeared Zahraa had started her attack as the girl seemed to be back on the ground where witnesses alleged she also tried to kill her. 'Once [the girl] and her mom were on the ground, her mom put her arm around her neck and started choking her,' police wrote in their report. They were eventually separated and the girl was able to get to her feet. The footage showed the girl and her boyfriend run behind a tree pursued by Haneen and her mother where there was another altercation. The couple then fled inside the school, pursued by Zahraa, and were able to hide inside until police arrived. The brave boyfriend suffered a 'boxer's fracture' to his finger as he tried to get Ishan off his girlfriend, and bruises and scratches on his head and face. He wasn't diagnosed with a concussion but had symptoms such as sensitivity to light and headaches when he tried to watch TV or play video games. His mother told police it 'took him several days to talk about the incident without crying'. The girl earlier told police in a three-hour interview on October 24 that she ran away because she was terrified of being taken to Iraq where she would be married off, abused, and forced to have children - never to return home. She explained that after her boyfriend was knocked to the floor with his eyes closed, Ihsan grabbed her in a viscous attack. '[The girl] said her dad yanked her down and put her in a headlock. She said he was "choking" her "really hard" and she remembered grabbing his arm but then passed out,' police wrote. From there, her memory of Ihsan's attack ended, and she only knew what happened by watching the video of her boyfriend and classmates heroically saving her life. The girl also detailed her father's alleged threats to kill her for dating an American boy, and refusing an arranged marriage. 'If I could kill you, I would kill you, but I can't do that. I can't do that because there's cops and CPS people involved right now because of you,' she claimed he said. 'And I can't touch you because you will immediately go to the school.' The girl told police Ihsan another time told her he wanted to 'hurt her so badly but there are cops here' but also told her how he would 'kill her no matter what happens' and he 'did not care if anyone saw him'. Police bodycam footage obtained by the Daily Mail showed officers arriving at the school and arresting Ihsan, who demanded to speak to his daughter. 'Just let me tell her to come home - not like that. If I tell her to go home, she will go home,' he insisted, but police ignored him. Officers then had to deal with Zahraa and Haneen, who were hysterical and only left after Zahraa was allowed to speak to Ihsan. Police did not realize Zahraa also allegedly tried to kill her daughter until four days later, leaving her free to continue looking for her daughter, who was in hiding. Zahraa drove her youngest children, two boys aged five and three, into Canada and dropped them off with an Ihsan's brother and mother, who lived there. She then returned to Washington before trying to cross into Canada a second time with a 'notable quantity of baggage' on the night of October 22, but was arrested by customs officers. The girl spent four days in St Peter Hospital for treatment after a strangulation exam, having complained of neck, throat, and jaw pain, and had difficulty swallowing. Hospital staff listed her injuries as including redness and abrasions to her face, head, shoulders, neck, scalp, and under her chin. She also had suffered burst blood vessels in her eyes and an eyelid droop. 'She believes she lost consciousness three to four times during the incident,' court documents alleged, adding that at one point she woke up with dirt pressed into her face.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Boy fights off girl's Muslim parents who tried to strangle her
A teenage boy has described how he saved his girlfriend's life as her parents allegedly tried to strangle her in an 'honor killing'. Ihsan Ali, 44, and his wife Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, are charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping after the attack on October 18. The girl, 17, who can't be named, ran away from home to Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, after her parents tried to put her on a plane to Iraq. 'Her father had recently been threatening her with honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another county,' the girl told police. Video showed Ihsan on the ground with his daughter in a chokehold outside the school, while classmates desperately tried to free her. Ihsan and Zahraa both pleaded not guilty and are expected to go on trial in July. The girl met her boyfriend at the school after she fled her home and school officials arranged for her to stay at a women's shelter. However, the school did not arrange transport there, so the couple went outside to catch a bus, and spotted Ihsan's pickup truck in the car park. The teenage boy explained to police in an interview on November 6 that a friend told him Ihsan had seen them and was heading their way. '[The girl] was scared, shaking, and had a tremble in her voice,' Detective Julie Mullen wrote in a report obtained by The boy stood between his girlfriend and her father as they tried to get to the bus as it arrived, and attempted to separate them when Ihsan tried to pull her away. Ihsan then allegedly punched him in the head and he remembered falling down and everything going black. '[He] said when he got up [the girl's] dad was "choking" her and [two other students] punched [Ihsan] in the face and people were yelling to call 911,' Mullen wrote. 'He started punching her dad in the face but he continued to choke [the girl] and said others were trying to pull her out while he continued to punch her dad in the head. 'He continued to punch Ishan until his "head got soft" and he got knocked out.' The boy then helped his girlfriend off the ground, but she 'couldn't breathe' and didn't know what was going on. Just as he was helping her to his feet, he alleged Zahraa and the girl's eldest sister Haneen, 21, came up behind them and pushed him out of the way to get to her. He told police he tried to 'fight them off' by putting up his arm up and pushing them away, and in the melee the girl and Zahraa were pushed to the ground. 'Once [the girl] and her mom were on the ground, her mom put her arm around her neck and started choking her,' Mullen wrote. He said that as he tried to pull the girl away from Zahraa, Haneen yelled 'what are you doing this?' at him. The boy was eventually able to pull his girlfriend to her feet and then away from Haneen when she allegedly grabbed her, and fled towards the school. The teenager suffered a 'boxer's fracture' to his finger as he tried to get Ishan off his girlfriend, and bruises and scratches on his head and face. He wasn't diagnosed with a concussion but had symptoms such as sensitivity to light and headaches when he tried to watch TV or play video games. His mother told police it 'took him several days to talk about the incident without crying'. The boy also told police about an earlier incident at the school with Zahraa on September 16 last year where she attacked him. The girl also detailed her father's alleged threats to kill her for dating an American boy, and refusing an arranged marriage. 'If I could kill you, I would kill you, but I can't do that. I can't do that because there's cops and CPS people involved right now because of you,' she claimed he said. 'And I can't touch you because you will immediately go to the school.' The girl told police Ihsan another time told her he wanted to 'hurt her so badly but there are cops here' but also told her how he would 'kill her no matter what happens' and he 'did not care if anyone saw him'. Police bodycam footage obtain by showed officers arriving at the school and arresting Ihsan, who demanded to speak to his daughter. 'Just let me tell her to come home - not like that. If I tell her to go home, she will go home,' he insisted, but police ignored him. Officers then had to deal with Zahraa and Haneen, who were hysterical and only left after Zahraa was allowed to speak to Ihsan.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Hero schoolboy tells how he saved girlfriend when her Muslim parents tried to strangle her in 'honor killing'
A heroic teenage boy has described how he saved his girlfriend's life as her parents allegedly tried to strangle her in an 'honor killing'. Ihsan Ali, 44, and his wife Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, are charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping after the attack on October 18. The girl, 17, who can't be named, ran away from home to Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, after her parents tried to put her on a plane to Iraq. 'Her father had recently been threatening her with honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another county,' the girl told police. Shocking video showed Ihsan on the ground with his daughter in a chokehold outside the school, while classmates desperately tried to free her. Ihsan and Zahraa both pleaded not guilty and are expected to go on trial in July. The girl met her boyfriend at the school after she fled her home and school officials arranged for her to stay at a women's shelter. However, the school did not arrange transport there, so the couple went outside to catch a bus, and spotted Ihsan's pickup truck in the car park. The teenage boy explained to police in an interview on November 6 that a friend told him Ihsan had seen them and was heading their way. '[The girl] was scared, shaking, and had a tremble in her voice,' Detective Julie Mullen wrote in a report obtained by the Daily Mail. The boy stood between his girlfriend and her father as they tried to get to the bus as it arrived, and attempted to separate them when Ihsan tried to pull her away. Ihsan then allegedly punched him in the head and he remembered falling down and everything going black. '[He] said when he got up [the girl's] dad was "choking" her and [two other students] punched [Ihsan] in the face and people were yelling to call 911,' Mullen wrote. 'He started punching her dad in the face but he continued to choke [the girl] and said others were trying to pull her out while he continued to punch her dad in the head. 'He continued to punch Ishan until his "head got soft" and he got knocked out.' The boy then helped his girlfriend off the ground, but she 'couldn't breathe' and didn't know what was going on. Just as he was helping her to his feet, he alleged Zahraa and the girl's eldest sister Haneen, 21, came up behind them and pushed him out of the way to get to her. He told police he tried to 'fight them off' by putting up his arm up and pushing them away, and in the melee the girl and Zahraa were pushed to the ground. 'Once [the girl] and her mom were on the ground, her mom put her arm around her neck and started choking her,' Mullen wrote. He said that as he tried to pull the girl away from Zahraa, Haneen yelled 'what are you doing this?' at him. The boy was eventually able to pull his girlfriend to her feet and then away from Haneen when she allegedly grabbed her, and flee towards the school. The brave teenager suffered a 'boxer's fracture' to his finger as he tried to get Ishan off his girlfriend, and bruises and scratches on his head and face. He wasn't diagnosed with a concussion but had symptoms such as sensitivity to light and headaches when he tried to watch TV or play video games. His mother told police it 'took him several days to talk about the incident without crying'. The boy also told police about an earlier incident at the school with Zahraa on September 16 last year where she attacked him. He explained the incident was sparked by Zahraa seeing him and the girl kiss three times outside the school. The girl told him her 'life was ruined' after she realized that her mother had spotted them. '[The girl's] mom grabbed his arm and told him to get in her car but he continued to walk to the bus. [The boy] said he was yelling and causing a scene,' Mullen wrote. The girl earlier told police in a three-hour interview with police on October 24 that she ran away because she was terrified of being taken to Iraq where she would be married off, abused, and forced to have children - never to return home. She explained that after her boyfriend was knocked to the floor with his eyes closed, Ihsan grabbed her in a viscous attack. '[The girl] said her dad yanked her down and put her in a headlock. She said he was "choking" her "really hard" and she remembered grabbing his arm but then passed out,' police wrote. From there, her memory of Ihsan's attack ended, and she only knew what happened by watching the video of her boyfriend and classmates heroically saving her life. But the attempt on her life was not over, as Zahraa allegedly seized her and tried to finish the 'honor killing'. 'Someone pushed them to the ground, and then her mom started to choke her and was screaming in her ear,' Mullen wrote. The girl also detailed her father's alleged threats to kill her for dating an American boy, and refusing an arranged marriage. 'If I could kill you, I would kill you, but I can't do that. I can't do that because there's cops and CPS people involved right now because of you,' she claimed he said. 'And I can't touch you because you will immediately go to the school.' The girl told police Ihsan another time told her he wanted to 'hurt her so badly but there are cops here' but also told her how he would 'kill her no matter what happens' and he 'did not care if anyone saw him'. Police bodycam footage obtain by showed officers arriving at the school and arresting Ihsan, who demanded to speak to his daughter. 'Just let me tell her to come home - not like that. If I tell her to go home, she will go home,' he insisted, but police ignored him. Officers then had to deal with Zahraa and Haneen, who were hysterical and only left after Zahraa was allowed to speak to Ihsan. These are some of the cuts, welts, and broken bones the teenage girl suffered when her parents allegedly tried to strangle her in an 'honor killing' Police did not realize Zahraa also allegedly tried to kill her daughter until four days later, leaving her free to continue looking for her daughter, who was in hiding. Zahraa drove her youngest children, two boys aged five and three, into Canada and dropped them off with an Ihsan's brother and mother, who lived there. She then returned to Washington before trying to cross into Canada a second time with a 'notable quantity of baggage' on the night of October 22, but was arrested by customs officers.
