Saudi sisters on run from consular staff after renouncing Muslim faith were ‘kidnapped at Hong Kong airport’
- Pair were bound for Australia after fleeing family during holiday to Sri Lanka, but were allegedly apprehended by Saudi consular staff at Hong Kong airport
- Cathay Pacific cancelled their connecting flight to Melbourne
Police are looking into allegations that two sisters on the run from Saudi Arabia and their family were briefly kidnapped at Hong Kong airport before ending up stuck and hiding in the city without valid passports.
The pair, who renounced their Muslim faith, fled to Hong Kong almost six months ago, midway through a family holiday in Sri Lanka. Their final destination was meant to be Australia, but they were apprehended at Hong Kong International Airport by staff from the Saudi consulate, according to their lawyer.
On arrival at the airport on September 6, the women discovered their tickets for their connecting flight to Melbourne had been cancelled, and Saudi consular staff, including the consul general, allegedly attempted to place them on a flight to Riyadh.
Vidler & Co Solicitors, representing the sisters, said a Sri Lankan Airlines employee even briefly snatched their passports.
Their escape prompted a pursuit by their father and uncle – high-ranking officials in Saudi Arabia – who flew to Hong Kong to file a missing persons report, multiple sources told the Post.