RIYADH, 21 April 2008 — Police are trying to identify four men, who were recorded on camera bundling a young girl into a vehicle outside a restaurant in the Shuhada district of the city.
A Saudi driver from his car recorded the clip, which was posted on YouTube.com on Thursday.
The footage showed the men surrounding the Saudi girl, who was dressed in a designer abaya, outside a Kudu restaurant.
The cameraman could be heard saying, “They slapped her... oh my God!”
Even though bystanders witnessed the kidnapping no one interfered, perhaps suspecting the men to be members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. While trying to escape, the girl was forced to get into a brown Ford minivan and driven away.
None of the four men could be seen wearing name tags nor was the vehicle an official commission car.
Riyadh Police spokesman Maj. Sami Al-Shuwarikh said he could not comment on the video without gathering information about it.
Even though members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are required to wear official name tags, they are not allowed to detain people in nonofficial cars.
Last year, Shoura Council member Khalil Al-Khalil called on the Council to approve a law requiring commission members to wear uniforms while on duty.
The law was proposed to protect the public from men pretending to be members of the vice police.
Although such a law has not been passed, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, president of the commission, made it clear that all field members must wear official name tags.
However, last year, the local media had reported several cases in which members had not abided by this regulation.
Media reports say the commission often relies on part-timers to apprehend suspects and later deliver them at commission centers but the commission has constantly denied this claim.
