6 In A Family Held For Kidnapping Pregnant Woman Because Her Boyfriend Wasn't Muslim

Authorities in Arizona have nabbed six members of a family for plotting to kidnap a 20-year-old pregnant woman because her boyfriend wasn't a Muslim.

The Peoria Police Department disclosed the names of the six detainees, Ali Alfartousi, 33, Bashir Alfartousi, 36, Fares Alfartousi, 63, Souad Alfartousi, 59, Yaser Alfartousi, 35, and Zahraa Alfartousi, 31, on Friday and levied multiple charges against them for targeting the victim and five of them were accused of punching the latter in the stomach.

According to the statement, a person from the boyfriend's family called them in May to report that suspects were threatening them and demanding the victim be returned to them. The caller told cops that the suspects have threatened to abduct a young member of their family if they refuse to hand the pregnant woman over to them.

During an investigation, cops learned that the pregnant woman, along with her boyfriend's family, filed over 20 separate police reports with different Arizona police agencies. The allegations included disorderly conduct, harassment, aggravated assault and kidnapping, police said.

Detectives learned that the suspect attempted to kidnap the victim on Aug. 18 from a parking lot as she was returning from a doctor's visit. Ali, Fares, Souad, Yaser, and Zahra Alfartousi allegedly pulled the victim into a vehicle and began punching her in the stomach. The woman managed to escape after two witnesses came to her aid.

According to the Yuma Police Department, Bashir, who is the victim's brother, was arrested in March for trying to kidnap her after she fled to Yuma and hid in a hotel with her boyfriend to escape her relatives, ABC News reported, citing Yuma Police Department.

The victim told the police that she was afraid her family members would kill her because they believed she brought their family dishonor by dating a man out of their community and that they had planned to send her back to Iraq, detectives wrote in a probable cause statement, according to ABC News.

Fares and Souad were said to be the victim's parents.