The 18-year-old Saudi woman who captured international attention as she resisted deportation from a Bangkok hotel room arrived in Canada on Saturday, in the final leg of a long journey to secure legal refuge.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland welcomed Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun in the Toronto Pearson International Airport, putting her arm around the smiling young woman, who had donned a Canada zip-up.
“Canada was glad we were able to act quickly and to offer refuge to a refugee at the request of UNHCR,” Freeland told reporters, referring to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “And to offer refuge to a person whose life was in danger.”
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