Rumour mill whirs after Jordan girls found

Two girls who went missing in Jordan on June 18 have been found in an apartment in Irbid, north of the capital Amman.

Their disappearance had sparked widespread rumours and anxiety in a country where such incidents are rare.

There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of their disappearance and the condition they were found in on Tuesday. The public relations department of the Public Security Directorate (PSD) said the girls were traced to the Sharqi district of Irbid following a countrywide search, and were found in the company of an unidentified third person.

The PSD statement said the girls, who were found in good condition, were there "voluntarily".

However, families of the girls, who have pictures showing Joumana Ouwayda and Shaimaa Abdul-Hadi bound and blindfolded sent to them by the alleged kidnappers, insisted they had been abducted. The picture has since been circulating on social media amid a lot of speculation.

The PSD later told the press the picture was staged by the girls and their companion, to make their disappearance look like a kidnapping.

The PSD said the girls and their companion will be referred to the Family Protection Directorate for further investigation.