A mother accused of trying to strangle her teenage daughter in what authorities describe as an “honor killing” has been arrested while attempting to cross the U.S.-Canada border. The woman, Zahraa Subhi Mohsin, 40, was caught after being charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault. The shocking incident happened outside a high school in Washington in October.
The trouble began when Mohsin and her husband, Ihsan, reportedly pressured their 17-year-old daughter to accept an arranged marriage to an older man. When the girl refused, the parents allegedly threatened her with an “honor killing.” Matters escalated outside her school, where they allegedly attacked her in front of her classmates.
Witnesses say Ihsan held his daughter in a chokehold for about a minute as her friends tried desperately to pull him off. When they finally succeeded, Mohsin allegedly stepped in and began choking her daughter until she, too, was restrained. The teenager was left with burst blood vessels in her eyes and bruises on her shoulders.
Police arrested Ihsan at the scene, but Mohsin managed to leave. She was later caught when her passport was flagged at the Canadian border. Reports reveal that she had dropped her other children off with their uncle across the border and was on her way back when authorities detained her.
Initially, Ihsan wasn’t charged with attempted murder and was released after posting a $150,000 bond. However, after additional charges of second-degree attempted murder were filed on November 5, he was re-arrested. Mohsin, charged with attempted murder from the start, is being held on a $500,000 bond. Both remain in custody as the case unfolds.
