JEDDAH, 15 May 2006 — The Munich airport authorities will dismiss an official who humiliated a Saudi woman during security check, according to the German Embassy in Riyadh.

The authorities investigated the alleged ill-treatment of the Saudi woman passenger in Munich airport recently and found it to be against the code of conduct for employees in German airports, Al-Watan newspaper reported quoting an embassy statement.

“There are clear instructions that officials must be courteous and respectful to passengers, in addition to being considerate of the wishes of passengers who want to be searched behind screens,” the statement said.

The embassy maintained that the passenger was not humiliated or struck but only touched on her shoulders. The Saudi woman, however, reiterated her charge that the male official abused and struck her.

According to the embassy statement, the security check at Munich airport on May 8 did not exceed the limits of courteousness. The woman was not abused, humiliated or beaten and the search was conducted in a private room as she wished.

On the other hand, the behavior of a male official after the completion of the security check was in violation of instructions given to airport officials. He talked to her harshly and touched her shoulder. This is an unacceptable way of dealing with passengers even though he apologized to her later, the statement said.

“The offending official was suspended from his work after preliminary inquiries and will be dismissed,” it added.

The embassy also conveyed an apology from the Munich airport for the unbecoming behavior of an individual saying, “The unfortunate incident should not lead to the wrong impression that we do not welcome our guests and are not hospitable to them.”

The Saudi woman who was mistreated at the airport demanded that a German woman official who carried out the security check should be punished too because the official abused her and threatened her with preventing her from boarding the plane.

The woman also rejected the German Embassy’s claim that the male security official did not strike her but only touched her shoulder. She reiterated that he struck her and, but for her daughter’s interference, the blow could have fallen on her face. She also denied the embassy claim that the man offered an apology.

Another official, she said, did in fact apologize to her. She pointed out that the truth of her statements could be verified by checking the recordings of the surveillance cameras at the airport.

Abdul Ilah Al-Shoaibi, a Saudi diplomat in Germany, said: “We are following up the matter. An official of the Munich airport has informed us of the decision to suspend the errant official.”

Al-Shoaibi added that the official was an employee of a contracting company and that neither he nor his company represented the airport authorities.