Two Indonesians Released From Custody in Saudi Arabia
Jakarta. Two Indonesian pilgrims detained by the Saudi Arabian authorities at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah have been released and arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday (23/02).
Umi Widayani and Triningsih were investigated for joking about bringing explosives on a Royal Brunei Airline flight on Jan. 11. They did not expect their prank would be taken seriously.
The women said that when the airline crew heard their jokes, all passengers were asked to leave the aircraft and only boarded again 16 hours later. The two were then questioned by police and were assisted by the Indonesian consulate general in Jeddah.
"After a long process and intensive coordination with the Saudi Arabian General Investigative Board, the case has was dropped," said Dicky Yunus of the Indonesian consulate, as quoted by a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The woman were released under a condition that they must apologize to the Saudi King and people for improper behavior.
Dicky stressed that joking about explosives is an extremely sensitive issue.
"Such jokes are considered a violation of the civil aviation law, and passengers are encouraged to be careful and behave properly while traveling," he said.
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