Kansas Student 'Saved Hundreds' in Mosque Attack

Abduljaleel Alarbash was a long way from Kansas when he died, but his fellow students at Wichita State University say they will never forget him or his bravery. The 22-year-old, who had gone to Saudi Arabia to marry his fiancee, was one of three volunteer security officers killed in an attack on a Shiite mosque on Friday, and officials say he saved hundreds of lives by keeping the suicide bomber out of the building, KSN reports. The attack—the second deadly Saudi mosque blast in a week—involved a suicide bomber dressed in women's clothes who blew himself up when he was challenged by guards, the New York Times reports. ISIS has claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Alarbash, an electrical engineering major, had planned to return to his studies in Kansas this fall, KSN reports. The other two volunteer guards killed in the attack were his brother and their cousin, according to his father, who says the trio died as heroes. In Wichita, students and staff members describe Alarbash as an "amazing" guy who always went out of his way to help others and was very excited about his upcoming wedding. "I think the way in which he passed away shows a lot about the person," the director of the university's engineering career center tells CNN. "He was definitely a pleasure to work with." (To keep ISIS out, the Saudis have been building a 600-mile "Great Wall.")