Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH – Police in Riyadh traced Nouf Al-Qahtani, an 11-year-old Saudi girl who went missing after going out of her house to throw garbage, thanks to a rigorous social media campaign to find her. She is reported to be safe and in good health.

Maj. Khaled Al-Kraidis, spokesman of Riyadh police, shared the news of finding the girl at the end of an extensive search that lasted several hours.

He said the Riyadh region police received information that the Saudi girl went missing from Al-Musa neighborhood of Riyadh Monday morning. "The security authorities were able to find her in Riyadh city at the end of an intensive search operation. The girl is in good health and the authorities have completed all the initial legal formalities,” Al-Kraidis said.

Thani Al-Qahtani, Nouf's brother, said the family came from Al-Harajah village in the southern Asir region for their sick father to undergo medical tests in a hospital in Riyadh. “Nouf went out of their residence Monday morning to throw garbage, but she did not come back and disappeared without any trace,” he said.

The report about Nouf’s missing became an instant hit on social media with several twitteratis starting a campaign to find her.

The campaign, with the hashtag #missingNoufAl-Qahtani, appealed to anyone who saw her or had any information about her to immediately contact her family. The campaign coincided with the massive search operation by the security forces, and eventually led to finding the girl in a safe state.