Court investigates genie claims

A court in Saudi Arabia is investigating the case of a genie who allegedly threatened and harassed a family, it has emerged.

It is claimed that the "jinn" - an invisible demon or ghost that interacts with the human world - had moved the family's belongings and telephoned them urging them to leave their home, Al-Watan reports.

The father said: "We have lived in the house for 15 years and felt no presence until about two years ago.

"We began to hear strange sounds, which at first we did not take seriously, but then stranger things started to happen and the children got particularly scared when the jinn started throwing stones."

He added: "A woman spoke to me first, and then a man. They said we should get out of the house."

Head of the Shariah Court in Mahd Al-Dhahab Amr Al-Sulami said: "A case such as this is difficult, but we have to check its veracity. What is interesting is that the complaint has come from every member of the family, and not just one."