RIYADH, 27 December 2005 — A young Saudi man in his midtwenties was arrested in the capital by Riyadh police for allegedly raping a nine-year-old boy and attempting to abduct an eleven-year-old boy, Arab News has learned.

According to the police, the father of the eleven-year-old had visited the Naseem Police Station to file a report about a man in a red Chevrolet Lumina who attempted to abduct his son in broad daylight.

According to eyewitnesses, the man in the car, who forcefully got the boy inside, dropped him off after being chased by neighbors who saw what was happening.

After collecting information on the description of the man and his car, police were able to link the incident to an earlier complaint filed by a Saudi who filed a missing-person’s report. The man said that his son, aged nine, was missing after failing to return home from the grocery store in a neighborhood in Al-Naseem District.

According to the father, his son’s personal belongings were found discarded near the house.

Naseem Police ordered all units to be on the lookout for the suspect and his car. An officer then saw the suspect riding in his car on one of the capital’s streets.

A chase ensued after the suspect refused to stop. The suspect was apprehended without incident.

After searching the vehicle, police found the missing boy alive, tied up in the trunk of the car. The boy said he had been abducted and raped. Police also confiscated the mobile of the suspect, which contained digital-video evidence of the assault.

Maj. Sami Al-Shuwairekh, spokesman of the Riyadh Police Department, said that the man confessed to raping the boy.

“The man is currently in jail. He confessed to his crime. We are waiting for the investigation to wrap up so we could later transfer his case to a Shariah court,” he said.

If convicted, the man could face public execution, according to Shariah law.

Meanwhile, Arab News learned of another failed attempt to abduct a minor in the capital.

A source told Arab News that a car belonging to the family of a young Saudi woman was stolen as her driver got out of the car.

The car was found abandoned two days later by the police. Police were able to identify the vehicle with another report filed by a Saudi family who claimed some young men in the same car were trying to abduct their boy.

The license plate of the car was given to the police.