Student killed in terrorist attack considered a hero

Wichita State undergraduate student Abduljaleel Alarbash was killed Friday in a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia.

Wichita State undergraduate student Abduljaleel Alarbash was killed Friday in a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia.

Wichita State undergraduate student Abduljaleel Alarbash, 22, was one of four dead Friday following a suicide bomber’s terrorist attack near a Shiite mosque in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, according to a news release from the university.

Alarbash, known as “Jalil” among friends at WSU, was studying electrical engineering and had returned to Saudi Arabia to get married, the release said. He was scheduled to return to WSU this fall.

Media outlets are considering Alarbash a hero, after he and his cousin reportedly stopped the suicide bomber from entering the crowded mosque, the release said.

According to CNN, ISIS has claimed it’s behind the attack.

Wichita State’s Muslim Student Association has scheduled at candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. June 5 on the Rhatigan Student Center’s east patio in response to Alarbash’s death.

“Muslim Student Association would like to send our deepest condolences to Abduljaleel’s family, friends and colleagues in this time of loss,” a Facebook event for the vigil states. “Please keep him and his friend Mohammed both in your thoughts and prayers.”