A secret Jew, bin Laden, an affair and betrayal. Suspect in Kennewick stabbing takes the stand

The Kennewick man on trial for stabbing his wife 23 times last year gave rambling testimony Thursday, referencing a plot that involved his secret Jewish faith, links to terrorism and a plot to kill him.

Abdul Rahman Sweidan said his wife, Dania Z. Alhafeth, attacked him with a knife, then herself, in part because she discovered he was a secret Jew and a traitor to her family.

Reading from handwritten notes, Sweidan alleged from the witness stand that his wife was related to members of a terrorist network operating in Syria and a former comrade of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Sweidan, 47, is charged in Benton County Superior Court with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault. The charges include aggravating factors of domestic violence, use of a deadly weapon and the fact that the crime happened near their young child.

The picture Sweidan painted of the couple's relationship, let alone that day in Aug. 30, 2017, was completely different than the one relayed by Alhafeth.

She said in emotional testimony Wednesday that Sweidan attacked her in the living room of their Kennewick home and left her to die.

Sweidan said through Arabic-speaking interpreters that life at home was good. His relationship with Alhafeth was positive, despite past infidelities on her part.

He provided everything the family needed through his work at Tyson Meats, though he also was trying to change his job or get assistance from the state Department of Social and Health Services.

However, Alhafeth's attitude changed when she found in the home an identification card from Israel, a Star of David on a necklace and a handwritten story explaining the two, Sweidan said.

When he came home that day, Alhafeth loudly said that she needed to talk to him.

Sweidan said they sat on opposite sofas in the living room when she told him, "You are someone who is a traitor," and showed him what she'd found.

The card and Star of David were from men Sweidan said he met in Syria and Jordan. The items were supposed to help Sweidan get a passport in the U.S. and eventually a green card in Israel.

Sweidan said the handwritten story was his explanation of what the items meant and how he would use them. He said that Alhafeth knew of the ID card before, but not the other items that confirmed he was a Jew.

Sweidan said he was going to do what the story said, because he was a Jew. Alhafeth countered that he was a traitor, and that she would share it with her relatives and others.

Some of those relatives were in Syria and Saudi Arabia, Sweidan said, and had connections to the Sunni terrorist group, Al Nusra Front, which is fighting in Syria against President Bashar Al Assad's forces.

She also had relatives connected to bin Laden, Sweidan claimed.

Sweidan told the court that he quickly grew tired of the arguing that day and left the room to brush his teeth.

When he came back, Alhafeth asked to see him again, this time with her hands behind her back. When Sweidan got close, she attacked him with the knife.

Alhafeth slashed the fingers on his right hand, he said, then started to stab herself to create for Sweidan a "problem" with authorities. He said he walked away to find the Israeli items as Alhafeth stabbed herself.

Sweidan said he went from room to room, but couldn't find the Israeli items. He tried to ask Alhafeth to tell him where they were, but she said he could "go bang his head on all four walls."

He said he changed out of his bloody clothes and left home with Alhafeth still on the floor. He then realized one of his sons was still inside.

He tried to get back into the home with a key, but he said that Alhafeth kept re-locking the door before he could open it. He then left for good.

Defense attorney Michael Vander Sys asked Sweidan if he ever stabbed Alhafeth. He said no.

Vander Sys then asked why Alhafeth would attack herself to get Sweidan in trouble.

Sweidan said that because he knew Alhafeth's secret connections to terrorist groups, he was a threat to her.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday morning.

This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 7:38 PM with the headline "A secret Jew, bin Laden, an affair and betrayal. Suspect in Kennewick stabbing takes the stand."