Qatar identified parents of dumped baby in airport scandal

[DOHA] Qatar said Monday it had identified the parents of a baby girl dumped at its airport, an incident that prompted officials to order departing female passengers to undergo invasive examinations, sparking global outrage.

The public prosecutor said the mother and father were from "Asian countries" which in Qatar typically refers to the nations of South Asia which provide a large number of migrant workers.

The prosecutor said in a statement that efforts were under way "to arrest the fugitive" who is overseas and faces 15 years imprisonment, calling her a "convict" - suggesting she may have been convicted in absentia.

Women on 10 Qatar Airways flights out of Doha, including one to Sydney, were subjected to the examinations following the incident on October 2, leading to a diplomatic row with Australia.

"Investigations revealed that the infant's mother... threw the newborn infant in the trash can in one of the toilets in the departures lounge at the airport and boarded the plane to her destination," the prosecutor said.

"(The mother) had a relationship with another person of the nationality of one of the Asian countries as well, and this relationship resulted in the infant that was found.

"The father of the infant admitted that he had a relationship with the infant's mother, and that she had sent him a message and a photo of the newborn infant immediately after her birth."

AFP