An Eritrean man has been detained in Jeddah accused of raping nine children at different times at building sites in the Al-Safa and Al-Shamaliya districts of the city. The victims were all reportedly boys around 10 years of age, the oldest being a 12-year-old, who were allegedly lured by the accused to the roofs of abandoned buildings or sites under construction which he identified in advance. Police were first notified by parents of the children – three in Al-Safa and six in Al-Shamaliya – and investigators, identifying the culprit based on descriptions provided, made the arrest at an apartment in the Al-Aziziya district. The accused was subsequently identified by his victims. “We have taken statements from the victims and also registered the confessions of the arrested individual, and our investigations are now concentrating on his recorded crimes and other possible ones that have not yet been reported,” said Misfir Al-Juweid, the spokesman for Jeddah Police.
