The search is on for a mum who delivered her baby son in an airport toilet before strangling him, dumping his body in a dustbin, and then catching her flight.
The baby's tiny body was discovered by a cleaner at Dubai International airport. CCTV footage is now being scrutinised in an attempt to track down his mother, who is believed to be an Ethiopian woman in her 30s.
The baby was found after a passenger alerted a cleaner to a pool of blood in the toilets. A bloody trail led to a bin, where the baby was discovered, tied up with his umbilical cord in a plastic bag.
The infant was still gasping for breath but attempts to revive him failed. The cleaner who found him told the Khaleej Times newspaper:
'At around 3.35am I went to the toilet to clean up the blood around a toilet bowl, after that I decided to empty the waste bin which was covered with paper rolls. When I lifted it I found it to be a little heavier, so I got curious and started removing the tissue papers. I was stunned to see a baby all blue on the face and gasping for breath.'
A source claimed it appeared the woman had strangled the baby, telling reporters:
'Most likely the woman wanted to get rid of the baby as it was a child outside wedlock. It seems that the woman had intended to leave the UAE before the delivery but was faced with a different reality in the airport.'
Having a sexual relationship or a child outside of marriage are criminal offences in the United Arab Emirates, and carries a sentence of up to three years imprisonment.
The baby's body is undergoing further tests.