Police have returned the two girls, Sahar and Raifa, to their uncle in Jeddah, who has legal custody of the children.

Their mother has been charged with their kidnap and taking their legal papers.

“After an extensive search, investigators found leads into the two girls’ whereabouts and they were found in Riyadh yesterday accompanied by their mother,” Jeddah police spokesman Col. Misfer Al-Juaid said.

Sahar, 9, and Raifa, 7, were reported missing last Wednesday. They were last seen in front of the Rahma Mosque in Jeddah’s Corniche.

“The girls, along with their sister and uncle, were on a visit to the Corniche. The kidnapping happened while the uncle went for prayers,” First Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq of Jeddah police told Arab News on Sunday.

“Their mother approached the three girls and told them to come with her. The eldest refused, while the other two went with her.”

When the uncle returned after performing his prayers he learned from the remaining girl what had happened. He immediately contacted police.

“The incident stemmed from a family feud between the mother and the uncle over the children’s custody after the death of their father,” Al-Juaid told Arab News. “Our investigation uncovered information indicating that the mother had learned of the girls’ visit with their uncle to Jeddah’s Corniche and that they were near the mosque.”