A schoolgirl has described the moment her parents allegedly tried to strangle her in an ‘honor killing’ after she ran away to escape a forced marriage.
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.
A disturbing event unfolded outside Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, where a 44-year-old man attempted to murder his 17-year-old daughter in what authorities have described as an “honor-based attack.”
According to prosecutors, Ihsan Ali followed his daughter and her 16-year-old boyfriend after school and launched a violent assault, furious that she had refused an arranged marriage with an older man in Iraq.
Dramatic footage from a school bus camera captured the horrifying scene: Ali punches the teen boy in the face, knocking him to the ground, then grabs his daughter by the neck and attempts to strangle her. Other students rushed to intervene, striking the father to stop the assault. A passerby also stopped his vehicle and physically restrained Ali until police arrived at the scene.
Later, the girl’s mother, Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, also became involved in the altercation and allegedly joined a second attempt to strangle her daughter. She was arrested four days later and is also facing attempted murder charges.
The teenage girl was hospitalized for four days with injuries to her neck, face, and body. Medical staff documented burst blood vessels in her eyes and marks consistent with strangulation. In her police statement, she recalled losing consciousness multiple times during the attack and genuinely believed she was going to die.
Both parents have been arrested and have pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and kidnapping. Their trial is expected to begin soon.
Meanwhile, the girl’s boyfriend and the other students who stepped in have been widely praised by the community for their bravery and quick action—credit widely believed to have saved the young woman’s life.