The Saudi embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul succeeded, in cooperation with Turkish security forces, in locating a Saudi tourist who was kidnapped by a Syrian gang last week.
Abir al-Enenzi was kidnapped on Wednesday soon after leaving a department store in Istanbul where she was on vacation with her family.
The Saudi embassy announced Monday that Abir was found and the necessary measures are underway to return her to the Kingdom.
Since receiving the notice of her abduction, the embassy and consulate worked tirelessly with Turkish authorities to locate her, it said in a statement. She was found in good health on Monday in an area three hours outside of Istanbul.
The embassy and consulate are following up on the investigations into the case with Turkish security agencies.
Sources at the embassy told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tourist was kidnapped by a Syrian gang.
Over the weekend, her brother, Faisal posted a message he had received from the gang via the WhatsApp messaging app warning him against reporting the case to the police and asking for ransom.
While cooperating with the security forces, the brother went along with their instructions and agreed to meet up with the kidnappers for the trade. At the specified location, the police arrested one of the kidnappers who had shown up to receive the ransom. He soon confessed to the crime and escorted them to a house where a Syrian family was residing and where the victim was being held.
