State police in Schodack say intervention by parents helped lead to an Albany man being arrested for alleged sexual abuse.
According to Troopers they were contacted Saturday by a 16-year old girl’s parents whom reported finding sexual messages on a digital device belonging to the teen.
Their investigation led them to 21-year old Ali Attiyah, who they say not only sent the messages but also had inappropriate contact with the girl over the past 11 months.
http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php
Authorities say the girl was 15 at the time the contact began.
To make the arrest, state police say they used the same mobile app Attiyah used to lure the teen – a popular messaging application, known as Kik.
Investigators contacted him through Kik and set up a meeting, when he was then arrested.
Kik is an app available on Apple and Android devices, as well as Windows Phones. According to its website it claims to be the “simplest, fastest, most life-like chat experience you can get on a smartphone,” where messages are exchanged through Kik usernames and not phone numbers.
Users can send text messages, as well as share pictures, videos, and webpages.
On the iTunes App Store, Kik is rated for users 17-years and older, citing “unrestricted web access” and “mature/suggestive themes.”
Attiyah is facing charges of sexual abuse in the third degree and endangering the welfare of a child. He was taken to the Rensselaer County Jail on $500 bail. It’s not known Sunday evening if he made bail or not.
State police are asking for anyone who may have had inappropriate contact with Attiyah to contact the Trooper barracks in Schodack at (518) 732-4644.
