Journalists' 'really weird' encounter outside Sydney apartment of dead sisters
Two ABC journalists have revealed the "really weird" encounter they experienced outside the Sydney apartment where the naked bodies of two Saudi Arabian sisters were mysteriously found two months ago.
Mahmood Fazal and Rachael Brown have been covering the deaths of 23-year-old Amaal Abdullah Alsehli and 24-year-old Asra Abdullah Alsehli for the ABC's Background Briefing, collaborating a series of mysterious accounts from witnesses in recent weeks.
The reporters' account only fuels the "paranoia" they've discovered surrounding those with intel into the sisters, who according to one source, believed they were being followed and traced.
"As we’re standing waiting for a cab, something really weird happens," Fazal and Brown explained.
"A car pulls up at the lights. Its driver pulls an iPhone out and takes a photograph of us. In a slow, deliberate fashion, like he wanted us to know, “I’m watching you”.
It comes after one tradie told them he twice encountered a suspicious man who claimed he lived in the same Canterbury apartment where the decomposing bodies of the two sisters were found.
The worker who had visited the complex often said he had encountered a Middle Eastern man lingering in the lobby of the building.
He reportedly told the worker he was from apartment 115 – the same apartment as the sisters.
The worker also claimed he had been inside the apartment, discovering two crucifixes inside. Islam is the state religion in Saudi Arabia.
Police in NSW remain stumped by the deaths of the women, whose bodies were discovered in their flat on June 7 after mail began piling up at their door.
Police remain silent on theories
Last month police appealed for any piece of information regarding the sisters with little evidence inside the apartment as to how the sisters, believed to have been dead for a month before their unharmed bodies were found, met their demise.
The man reported his sightings to police after their deaths, however NSW Police refused to comment on the worker's claims, the ABC said.
With little information regarding possible inquiries amid investigations, speculation as to what happened to the sisters has been rife.
Michael Baird, the building manager, who knew the sisters since they moved into the apartment in November last year, previously told the ABC there was something very strange about the sisters' behaviour.
“The girls were very, very scared. Very afraid of something. And we’re not sure what it was — something, someone... they didn’t tell us,” he said.
Plumber refuses to return after encounter with sisters
Three months before their bodies were found Michael explained a plumber who visited the apartment was disturbed by Amaal and Asra's behaviour, who remained silent and in a corner of the apartment during his visit.
“[The plumber] was concerned that there was something untoward happening in the apartment,” says Michael.
“He goes, ‘I don’t know. Something definitely wrong with that apartment. Something definitely happening in that place is not good. The girls look scared for some reason. I don’t want to go back.’”
Michael later visited the apartment and described a similar sight to the plumber. Yet the sisters did not want his assistance or any help from police either, who also made a welfare check on the pair.
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Amaal and Asra's sexualities are an avenue of investigation, The Guardian reports, after the sisters are understood to have attended a girls-only queer event earlier this year.
One attendee told the publication the sisters had revealed how gay women "live in fear of their safety" in Saudi Arabia.
Sisters' apartment relisted for rent
The mysterious witness reports come as the sisters' apartment was relisted for rent this week with a disturbing disclaimer about its dark history.
While promising "a life of seamless and luxurious comfort" living in the two-bedroom apartment, the listing informs potential suitors of the deaths at the end of its description.
"Disclaimer: This property has found two deceased person on 07/06/2022, crime scene has been established and it is still under police investigation," it reads.
"According to the police, this is not a random crime and will not be a potential risk for the community."
It's listed for $520 a week.
Several media reports have suggested the women had died by suicide after chemicals were found in the their rooms, however police have refused to comment on such reports.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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