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Police: West Virginia woman stops attempted abduction in mall, pulls gun on suspect

Posted at 5:15 PM, Apr 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-02 18:42:12-04

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BARBOURSVILLE, W.V. – A man from Egypt is accused of attempting to abduct a five-year-old girl after grabbing her by the hair in a West Virginia mall, WCHS reports.

According to police, the abduction attempt was foiled when the girl’s mother pulled a gun on the man and told him to let her go.

Mohammad Fathy Hussein Zayan, 54, was charged with attempted child abduction Monday, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Cabell County Magistrate Court.

Related: ‘Brave of her:’ 5th-grader hits man with bag of candy in attempted abduction

Police said Zayan had been working in the area and living out of a motel. A translator worked with Zayan, who speaks Arabic but not English.

The mall’s property manager said guns are allowed inside the mall.

Zayan’s bond was set at $200,000 cash a magistrate. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 8.