Dubai: A Saudi Arabian woman who attempted to seek asylum in Australia was stopped by authorities during a layover in the Philippines, and returned back home.
The woman, identified as Dina Ali Lasloom, was returned back to her family in Riyadh on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The 24-year-old woman’s story gained attention on social media over the last two days as Twitter users, under the hashtag #SaveDinaAli, voiced their outrage over the incident.
In a self-recorded video, which hid her face, Lasloom said that authorities at Manila airport had confiscated her passport and that she feared for her life if sent back to the Kingdom.
"Please help me. I'm recording this video to help me and know that I'm real and I'm here."
SA doesn't only ban adult women from traveling without male permission they hunt them down if they do.#SaveDinaAlipic.twitter.com/6UGDBNYPCK
— Anon #كلنا_دينا (@dontcarebut) April 10, 2017
The Philippine Daily Inquirer had earlier reported that Lasloom was a passenger of a Philippine Airlines flight from Kuwait to Manila, which arrived at 3.30 am Monday, and was supposed to take an 11am connecting flight to Sydney the same day.
The Inquirer further reported that on the request of officials from the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Manila, Lasloom was off-loaded from her Australian-bound flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 and put on another flight later that night to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi embassy in Manila declined to elaborate on the incident and told Reuters that the case was a "family matter", while adding that Lasloom had "returned with her relatives to the homeland."
Philippine authorities were not available for comment.
Lasloom did not emerge at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after the flight landed early Wednesday morning, but passengers told Reuters they had seen a woman carried onto the plane screaming.
