The family of a man filmed beating his baby daughter has disowned him, saying he did so to get attention during his phase of unemployment.
The video of the Palestinian resident of Saudi Arabia, identified as Yousif Alqutai, went viral over the weekend and caused uproar online, with many demanding justice to be served.
The head figure of his family, Zuhair Alqutai appeared on local radio revealing that they have disowned the abuser and said he filmed the horrific video to gain sympathy.
He said Alqutai filmed the video four years ago when he was unemployed in a bid to manipulate people into helping him find work, without providing further explanation.
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But this makes little sense when watching the harrowing video, which shows Alqutai grabbing his baby daughter by the neck while shouting at her, before then proceeding to hang her from her ears. He then lifts her up and throws her down on the floor multiple times to see if she would land on her legs.
Every time the baby fell, he would slap her on her back, face and stomach.
Alqutai later appeared on social media to release a statement with his baby daughter, claiming the video was filmed "a long time ago" and pleading for foregiveness.
“As you can all see now she is perfectly fine. I tried to teach her to walk and now look by the grace of God she walks by herself.”
Alqutai then went on to blame his wife for his acts of abuse, claiming she left him with their four children, which caused him to break down.
“Their mother left all four of our children with me and it has been difficult – as you can see in front of you there’s nothing wrong with them. I urge you all to pray for me instead of praying against me,” he said in the Arabic statement.
The video, which Alqutai himself alleged was an old recording, went viral in the Arab world and eventually led to his arrest.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
