Saudi authorities in Jeddah tracked down and arrested a reportedly Asian expat after attempting to rape a teenage girl, Twasul news site reported.
The man has been accused of trying to kidnap and assault the 13-year-old after spotting her on the staircase of a residential building located in Al Hamdaniya district. However, the defendant fled the scene when the teenager's mom rushed to the area after hearing her daughter screaming and crying for help.
The victim and her family immediately reported the incident to the police, who launched a search for the abuser.
The man was later found and detained
The teenager described her attacker's physical features to authorities, which allowed them to track him down.
He was detained soon after the incident and referred to Jeddah's Al Samer police department.
The man will be investigated before his case is referred to the city's public prosecution office.
Child sexual abuse is a major issue in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries
Even though cases of child sexual harassment are prevalent across the Arab world and in Saudi Arabia, they often go unreported due to social norms that shame victims and their families.
With odds stacked against victims, the majority of child abuse sufferers do not get the medical or psychiatric help they desperately need.
There is also no child molesters' registry to help identify abusers and repeat offenders in the kingdom. A proposal set to introduce one was recently rejected by the country's Shura Council.