Khaled Al-Johani, a Saudi citizen, said he was very much disturbed by the kidnapping of Anas and called for tracking down the kidnappers to bring them to justice.

“The case should not be closed just because the baby was found. The search must continue for the criminals who should be executed according to Shariah,” he said.

Shariah allows the death penalty in the public interest for any crime deemed and upheld by the courts to be socially corrupting enough to merit the punishment.

“We have seen kidnap cases in which the kidnapper was acquitted because he or she was considered mentally ill. Under Shariah, the mad cannot be held accountable for their deeds,” said Al-Johani.

Al-Johani said a report from any hospital that the criminal was suffering from psychological problems is enough to save him from the sword or prison.

“Many criminals got away with it because of reports from hospitals considering them mentally disturbed. The criminals are acquitted while the father and mother of the kidnapped child spend months and years in remorse and sadness,” he said.

Al-Johani said after the kidnapping of Anas he became very worried about his children who go to schools on foot.

“We have been terrorized thanks to the kidnapper of Anas,” he said.

Muhammad Badruddin warned against the increasing number of kidnap cases but did not consider them a phenomenon yet.

“What are the motives behind the abduction of infants? Do the kidnappers trade in them or their limbs after smuggling them out of the Kingdom?” he asked.

Badruddin called for an in-depth study of the reasons behind such abductions.

He recalled the case of a gang which kidnapped children and sodomized them in 2006 and said it took three years to execute the gang members.

Commenting on the issue, spokesman of the Department of Health Affairs in Madinah Abdul Raziq Hafiz said all the measures adopted by the Health Ministry to protect newborns in maternity wards were being thoroughly observed by all hospitals in the region. He explained that the identity cards of the husband and the wife are checked before the pregnant wife enters the delivery room.

“When the baby is born, fingerprints are taken along with blood samples and is only handed over to his registered parents,” he said.

The spokesman said entry to the nursery room is strictly prohibited even for the father and the mother. “The nurses will take the infant to the nursery and back to the mother. There are security guards placed in front of the nursery, the delivery room and the intensive care unit. There are also cameras installed in the corridors and exits,” he said.

Hafiz said the gates of the hospital are closed with secret numbers.

“Strict measures are taken for the protection of patients and newborn babies in our hospitals,” he assured.