The 17-year-old Connecticut teen who reportedly went missing in Morocco this week has been found safe and sound with her Facebook boyfriend, according to authorities—and in a new video, she claims she had permission from her parents to meet him overseas.
The mother of 17-year-old Rebecca Arthur reported her daughter missing on Wednesday, claiming she dropped her off at the airport on Monday so she could fly to California to visit a friend. Instead, Arthur boarded a flight to Morocco, where authorities believed she planned to meet up with a person named Simo El Adala, with whom she was listed in a relationship on Facebook.
Though authorities were concerned that El Adala was not who he purported to be, yesterday it was reported that Arthur was indeed safe and sound at a seaside community located about 220 miles south of Casablana; she was with El Adala's family at the time. And in a recent video, Arthur claims her parents knew she was planning to meet him. "I am safe and OK with my boyfriend Simo and his family, and I have my parents' permission to come here and visit and spend time with him," she says. You can see the video below:
Arthur reportedly met El Adala online a year ago and has been in a relationship with him for the past six months, though they met in person for the first time this week. In the video, El Adala says in Arabic that he had spoken with Arthur's mother about the trip, and that one of Arthur's friends may have tried to scare her mother by suggesting El Adala was going to kidnap her. El Adala also produced a notarized permission slip allegedly signed by Arthur's parents, though police say that may have been forged.
It is unclear when Arthur plans to return home, though a Moroccan news outlet says she's expected to leave the country on July 21st.
