The Saudi woman who was kidnapped in Istanbul, Turkey last week was found and reunited with her family early on Monday. The Saudi Embassy in Turkey confirmed the news of her safe return after identifying her as Abeer Al-Anzi. One suspect in the kidnapping scheme has reportedly been arrested, as footage capturing his detainment has been made public by several Saudi media outlets.
Sources told Ajel news site the kidnappers asked Al-Anzi's family for $150,000 dollars as ransom after she was abducted near the hotel she and her family were staying at, situated in the Asian side of Istanbul. She was transported to a location located three hours away from Istanbul. Her relatives then set-up a trap for the abductors, agreeing to meet with one of them while also tipping authorities about their location.
According to Ajel, as Al-Anzi's brother was meeting with one of the abductors, Turkish police arrived and arrested the latter. During interrogations, the man confessed to kidnapping Al-Anzi and led authorities to the place where she was being held.
According to sources, the woman was found with a family who spoke in Syrian dialect.
Details of the incident were shared with local news outlets by an anonymous source, however, they have yet to be corroborated by Saudi officials.
In his statement on the matter, Waleed Al-Khariji, the kingdom's ambassador to Turkey, explained that the embassy's team in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul had formed a task force to follow the case in cooperation with Turkish authorities.
Officials are now working on procedures to get the woman back home as soon as possible. According to news outlets, the Saudi family should reach the kingdom today.
It was reported on social media that hours before the woman was found, her brother received a WhatsApp message from her alleged abductors asking him not to cooperate with the police. Local newspapers reported the abductor and the brother were in touch ever since the Saudi woman was kidnapped.
Sources who spoke to Saudi Gazette said that CCTV footage was uncovered from the scene where the kidnapping took place. The video captured the perpetrator spraying the abductee with a substance that made her lose consciousness. The woman was then carried away from the scene.
Saudi tourists have been asked to be cautious while in Turkey
News of Al-Anzi's abduction came just days after two Saudi men were held at gunpoint, attacked, and robbed while sitting at a coffee shop in the district of Sisli in Istanbul. One of the men was injured after being shot at by the unknown gunmen before they were both robbed of all their belongings.
After the armed robbery, the Saudi Embassy in Turkey issued a warning to advise Saudi nationals to be cautious. The most recent statement, as it was preceded by many this year, instructed people to avoid certain areas after dark.
"The embassy asks male and female citizens, who are present in Istanbul, to exercise vigilance and caution. It also advises against going to the areas of Taksim and Sisli after the sunset," the embassy's statement read.
Due to the rise of petty crime believed to be aimed at Saudis in Turkey, the latter has witnessed a 33.2 percent decrease in Saudi tourists since the beginning of this year.
Reports say 165 Saudi passports have been stolen from three different Turkish destinations in the last four months.
"After some citizens who arrived in the Republic of Turkey on tourism were stopped by authorities for not carrying their original passports, the embassy notes the necessity for citizens to hold on to their original passports and prevent this loss, damage or theft," a statement by the embassy and foreign ministry read.