A Washington state couple stands accused of a brutal honor killing attempt on their 17-year-old daughter, with the trial set to begin Monday, July 21. Ihsan Ali, 44, and Zahraa Ali, 40, face multiple felony charges after allegedly attempting to kidnap and murder their daughter for refusing an arranged marriage.
According to court records, the October 2024 attack followed the teen’s attempt to escape being “forced to go to another country,” prompting her to seek refuge at Timberline High School in Lacey. The parents and sister followed her there, where surveillance footage shows part of the assault unfolding at a public bus stop.
The girl told police her father choked her until she passed out. “She said that once she was placed into a choke hold, she was unable to breathe or speak, and then passed out,” the affidavit states. Her 16-year-old boyfriend intervened, physically fighting the father to break the chokehold and save her life.
Court documents revealed the teen had previously told CPS her father had threatened her with an “honor killing” for rejecting a forced marriage. Her boyfriend later told police he believed “she was going to die while her father was choking her out on the ground.”
