A BRITISH oil rig worker has been arrested on suspicion of battering his roommate to death and hospitalising another following a violent row on an offshore oil platform in the Persian Gulf.
The man, believed to be from Aberdeen, Scotland, is being held by police in Qatar amid a murder probe.
It's alleged the two contractors rowed on the Seafox Burj platform off Qatar, before one bludgeoned the other to death with a BA cylinder used for diving.
It's claimed the suspect wrapped the body in a bed sheet and hid it in the bathroom of their quarters with a view of fleeing the platform by helicopter following the incident in the early hours of Monday.
But it's understood a third worker became suspicious and uncovered the body before he could escape.
A source told The Sun: "The guy became suspicious and began looking for his friend when he found the body.
"All hell broke loose, the guy who had (allegedly) done him in jumped the other guy, hit him over the head and started strangling him.
"Luckily some men in a nearby room heard the commotion and kicked the door in.
"They wrestled the attacker off and raised the alarm.
"Before we knew it a medical team and the police arrived by helicopter and arrested a man."
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All three men work for Film-Ocean, a firm which operates subsea ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) to inspect the oil pipeline and underwater equipment.
It's understood the alleged killer and the injured man are from Aberdeen while the deceased man is from the North East of England.
Film-Ocean has confirmed one person has died and another is injured following an incident at 1.40am Monday.
They also confirmed a man has been taken into police custody in Qatar.
A spokesperson said: "The next of kin of those involved have been informed, and the company is working to ensure they receive the appropriate support.
"All three personnel were contracted to Film-Ocean and were working on the platform at the time of the incident.
"Film-Ocean is liaising with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as other stakeholders, to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident."
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died and a man who has been injured in Qatar and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Oil rigs are alcohol free, especially in strict Muslim country Qatar, so it's not thought the attack was drink related.
Owned and operated by North Oil Company, the platform is one of 33 in the huge Al-Shaheen offshore oil field around 50 miles off the north east coast of Qatar.
Yesterday the platform was on full lockdown as police investigated the alleged murder.
The source added:"The rig shutdown and all comms were cut off.
“This shouldn’t be happening in our day and age in this industry, I've never heard of anything like this before."
A spokesman for Qatar's Ministry of the Interior said: “Law enforcement authorities are investigating a 12 December incident at an offshore facility.
"The incident involved three British nationals working for a contractor company.
"One individual sustained fatal injuries, another was hospitalized and released.
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"A third individual has been detained as part of a criminal investigation by the relevant authorities.”
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