Saudi authorities move to stem tide of car looting in Jeddah

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA // Residents affected by floods that have ravaged the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah have fallen victim to car thieves. As well as cars being stolen, owners of damaged and immobilised cars reported that they have had parts of their cars removed, such as headlights, engine parts and tyres. Misfer Al-Juaid, a Jeddah police spokesman announced that 209 people have been arrested and jailed, pending trial, for looting abandoned cars and houses in the flood-affected areas of the city. The floods started in late November, killing 98 people, and the clean-up process has been slow. "A number of car parts with traces of flood water on them were found with the thieves. These parts were enough evidence of their crimes," he says. To prevent further looting, Al-Juaid says that officers in plain clothes have been stationed in the worst affected areas, in particular the Kilo 14 district in southern Jeddah.