Jeddah Police on Sunday said they arrested three suspects accused of raping an Arab woman and stealing from her house in Al-Jamea District. The two Saudis and one Somali were drunk when they committed the crime, according to their confessions and the woman's statement. They were detained after the victim identified them in a lineup. The police had received a report from the woman's husband, who was not at the house at the time of the break-in. When summoned for a statement, the woman, who was examined medically and found to have been sexually assaulted, said she was in the kitchen late at night when three dark men speaking a local dialect grabbed her. They threatened her with knives and told her to remain silent or she would be harmed. She said she thought they were only in the house to steal property. As two raped her one of them collected valuables and electronic equipment. Later all three left the house. During their investigation, the police used sketches based on the woman's description of the perpetrators and assigned dozens of undercover agents to monitor markets selling used electronics goods. These efforts and the review of persons with criminal records in the area resulted in the arrest of a suspect. The suspect denied the accusation but was identified in a lineup. He later confessed to criminal investigators and said he entered the house through a small opening in the ceiling and opened the door from the inside for the other two. The suspects said their goal was to steal valuables “to pay for liquor”. They decided to rape the woman when they came across her in the house.
