Assailants wanted to kidnap me, says injured Hotak

KABUL (Pajhwok): Mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Ahmad Wali Hotak on Monday said the gunmen who stabled him with a knife actually wanted to kidnap him.

Samiullah Pam, a spokesman for Hotak, told Pajhwok Afghan News the overnight incident took place in the Hussainkhel area of Bagrami district at 11:00 pm.

He said Hotak came under attack from unknown gunmen on his way home after dropping his guests. The armed men opened fire at his car before stabbing him in the head and stomach with a knife.

The MMA fighter was admitted to the Kabul Emergency Hospital and his condition is stable. Ahmad Wali Hotak is also a member of the Afghanistan Sport Journalists Association.

Hotak said the attackers wanted to kidnap him, but during his resistance he suffered wounds at his lower stomach and head.

He did not know who were the attackers, but asked security institutions to investigate the attack, capture the perpetrators and punished them according to the law.

“From my hospital bed, I want to tell my fans that I will continue playing and serving the country until the last drop of blood in my body,” he said.

Earlier, Hotak on his social media wrote he landed in Afghanistan after undergoing a six-month training in the US and from Kabul he would travel to Moscow.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah expressed his grief over the incident and directed security institutions to investigate the incident.

Former National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar also denounced the attack and said he wanted to personally pay for Hotak’s treatment.

Interior Ministry’s deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said Kabul police and crime branch officials had been directed to promptly investigate the attack on Hotak and unearth the perpetrators.

The attack on Hotak also sparked anger among social media users who demanded immediate arrest of the attackers and stressed deterrent punishment to them.

nh/ma

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