Fratricide orphans 44 children
2004-08-23 21:04
Marjayoun - A single pistol shot left 44 children orphaned and four women widowed in a family feud in southern Lebanon, police reported.
Hassan Abdelal shot his 53-year-old brother Ghassan dead, apparently as part of a long-standing quarrel over a family inheritance.
Ghassan, who had the maximum four wives allowed under Islamic law, had fathered 44 children and was grandfather to 60, and with his death the legacy will now have to divided up into considerably more parts.
One person who is unlikely to benefit, though, is Hassan, because if he is convicted of his brother's murder he will be unable by law to inherit his share.
- AFP