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Parents tried to ‘kill’ 17-year-old daughter for refusing arranged marriage: cops
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Parents tried to ‘kill’ 17-year-old daughter for refusing arranged marriage: cops

The 17-year-old sought help from staff at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington.

The 17-year-old sought help from staff at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington.

Two parents allegedly tried to suffocate their 17-year-old daughter outside her high school in an attempted “honor killing” because she refused an arranged marriage to an older man, police said.

Ihsan Ali and his wife, Zahraa Ali, have been charged with attempted murder in the shocking attack outside Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash., in which the father also punched their daughter’s boyfriend in the face, police said.

Their daughter, who has not been identified, said her “father recently threatened her with an honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage to an older man from another county,” according to charging documents obtained by The Post.

Ihsan and Zahraa Ali are accused of trying to kill their daughter. FOX 13 SeattleIhsan and Zahraa Ali are accused of trying to kill their daughter. FOX 13 Seattle

Ihsan and Zahraa Ali are accused of trying to kill their daughter. FOX 13 Seattle

She ran away and sought help from school staff on October 18 – angering her parents, who turned up and attacked her outside, some of which were caught on camera.

Her father, Ihsan, suffocated her “to the point of unconsciousness” as other students — including the girl’s boyfriend — desperately tried to pull her away, the documents allege.

“It’s not okay … you don’t have to do this,” her father told her with his hands around her neck before she blacked out, the girl told police.

Video obtained by Fox 13 Seattle it shows Ihsan on top of his daughter and pushing his face into the ground, surrounded by a group of students yelling at him to stop.

The father also punched the girl’s boyfriend in the face, according to police.

The girl’s mother, Zahraa Ali, also grabbed her daughter and tried to choke her, the documents state.

Bystanders managed to free the girl after she lost consciousness. FOX 13 SeattleBystanders managed to free the girl after she lost consciousness. FOX 13 Seattle

Bystanders managed to free the girl after she lost consciousness. FOX 13 Seattle

Witness Josh Wagner said KOMO He was driving with his family when he stopped to break up what he thought was a fight between a group of children at the bus stop – until he saw the father holding his daughter in a headlock.

“It was quite annoying. All the kids were screaming, screaming,” said Wagner, who held the father until the police arrived.

Wagner said she was able to pry the father from her arms and hold him until police arrived.

Josh Wagner said he was able to free the girl from her father's grip. KOMOJosh Wagner said he was able to free the girl from her father's grip. KOMO

Josh Wagner said he was able to free the girl from her father’s grip. KOMO

The girl escaped with her boyfriend, running to the school’s main office screaming, “My dad tried to kill me” — prompting a school lockdown as school staff blocked the girl’s parents from entering, according to court documents .

The boyfriend’s father, Victor Barnes, told KOMO that there had been problems with the Ali family for months — including an alleged physical altercation that forced them to get a temporary protection order.

Court records show the mother was also banned from school property.

The girl's boyfriend's father, Victor Barnes, said there had been problems with the family for months. KOMOThe girl's boyfriend's father, Victor Barnes, said there had been problems with the family for months. KOMO

The girl’s boyfriend’s father, Victor Barnes, said there had been problems with the family for months. KOMO

The 17-year-old sought help from staff at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. KOMOThe 17-year-old sought help from staff at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. KOMO

The 17-year-old sought help from staff at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. KOMO

An honor killing is a practice in some societies where family members justify killing a person, usually a woman, by claiming that the victim brought dishonor to the family, according to Britannica.

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that up to 5,000 women are killed each year in such situations.

The victim’s school found the girl a safe place to stay while authorities continue to investigate.