A 12-year-old boy was kidnapped in Airdrie, Canada, after a plan to catch a known paedophile went wrong. The child and nine friends used Snapchat to arrange a meeting with 37-year-old Zain Alnoor Merchant. The boy got into Merchant's car voluntarily while his friends filmed, but Merchant drove off.
The boy escaped when the car stopped at a red light and called police. Merchant fled but was eventually arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Calgary police, and a helicopter in northeast Calgary. He faces charges including abduction of a person under 14, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, kidnapping, and forcible confinement.
Merchant also faces charges of fleeing police and three counts of breaching probation by contacting a minor and using the internet. Police warned that such stunts, inspired by the TV show 'To Catch a Predator', are extremely dangerous for young people.
Airdrie RCMP Corporal Christopher Hrynyk said: 'It's such a dangerous situation to put themselves in.' Sergeant Mark Auger of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams added: 'A lot of these setups and stings will end in violence, in suicide, in sexual assault. It's not worth the risk.'
Merchant appeared in court on Thursday and will remain in custody until a bail hearing next week.
