Kidnapped girl freed after raid in Riyadh

Police in Riyadh have freed Jouri Al Khalidi, the two-and-a-halfyear-old girl who was kidnapped from a hospital.

Her father yesterday evening confirmed the news that anxious people in Saudi Arabia had been waiting to hear for days.

“The police found her after they raided a flat in Riyadh,” Abdul Hakeem Al Khalidi said. “Jouri is now with her mother and grandmother and she is in good condition, thank God. The kidnapper has been arrested,” he said, according to the Saudi news site Sabq.

The kidnapper is believed to be a Saudi national who placed Jouri with a domestic helper. The little girl was kidnapped on November 20 while visiting a hospital with her parents. Her father reportedly left her at the reception while he went to pray.

Surveillance video showed her playing with a man who was taking pictures of her. He gave her his mobile phone and playfully led her towards the hospital’s main door and then carried her into his car and drove away.