CAIRO: In an Al-Masry Al-Youm interview with Mohamed El Saadi, the father of alleged serial rapist Hagag Al-Saadi, Mohamed said he believed his son was innocent. On July 21, Kuwaiti officials arrested Egyptian gym instructor Hajaj Al-Saadi on suspicion that he had raped 18 children. The story of the 27-year-old, dubbed the 'Hawaly Monster' shocked the nation, especially when he confessed to raping 15 Egyptian and three Jordanian children all 10 years old or less. In the first interview with his parents, his 54-year-old father denied that his son may have committed such a heinous crime. "He lived in Luxor for 25 years before moving to Kuwait without even entering a police station, he was quoted as saying. He added, How could the Kuwaiti officers say that my son has a psychological sexual problem as a result of being raped when he was a child and why didn't this problem appear in Luxor? According to officials from Kuwait's Ministry of Interior, his DNA matched the sperm found on the victims' clothing. The series of crimes started a year and a half ago. The father added that the scandal was overwhelming. Everybody knew that Hagag was going to marry his cousin. I can t raise my head up high again, it doesn t matter now if he is convicted or not Al-Saadi worked at a health club in Jabriya, Kuwait, according to Kuwait Times, but was fired recently after being accused of sexually harassing a young girl. The father described his visit to his son for three month in Kuwait seven month ago, saying that he went to work at 9 pm and came back home at 7 am. "He used to pray and fast, said the father. He also confirmed that he would not hesitate to kill his son with his own bare hands if the accusations were true. Lawyer Amir Salam told Daily News Egypt, "If found guilty, Al-Saadi would be responsible for destroying the lives of 18 children, stressing that "this type of crime should be harshly punished. Al-Saadi's mother didn't stop crying throughout the interview. She said, My son is a kind man and he would never do such a thing as rape children. Everybody knows how shy he is. She added that even his fiancé for five years Menna can testify to that. "I raised my son well and I know no one ever laid a finger on him, she said, referring to allegations that he was molested as a child. His father added, I wish I could fly to Kuwait to be there for my son or hire a lawyer for him but unfortunately I don t have any money. According to the Kuwait News Agency (Kuna), the chairperson of the Kuwait Higher Committee for the Ideal Mother Award Sheikha Fareeha Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, is relieved Al-Saadi was finally arrested. She called for "capital punishment.
