Hussein Al Mansoory: Why these two photos highlight what is wrong with Australia: ‘Mind blowing’

Australians are furious after no one intervened to help a missing boy with Down syndrome and autism who was found walking around barefoot in a diaper at a busy train station.

Hussein Al Mansoory, 12, disappeared after he was last seen walking from Auburn Memorial Park to the intersection of Station Road and Rawson Street, Auburn, in Sydney’s west, about 10.30am on Saturday.

A major search operation was launched, with the help of the police air force and hundreds of SES volunteers who searched backyards in the area.

Police confirmed that Hussein was found safe and sound in Auburn on Monday around 12:40 p.m.

But CCTV captured Hussein, a man with special needs and also non-verbal, walking around the Auburn train station on Saturday wearing a T-shirt, a diaper and no shoes.

But no one seems to have tried to help him or find his parents.

CCTV captured Hussein, a man with special needs and also non-verbal, walking around the Auburn train station on Saturday wearing a T-shirt, a diaper and no shoes. Social media users were furious that a member of the public did not try to help the young boy

The images of Hussein shocked social media users, with many outraged by staff and members of the public at the station who did not stop caring for a young boy who was clearly in distress.

‘I ask people who didn’t think it was strange that a young boy, clearly disabled, wearing a T-shirt and a diaper and walking around, wasn’t it strange? Didn’t you think to follow while you were on the phone with the police? Stunned!” one person wrote.

“Strange that no one stopped him and tried to help him,” a second person commented.

A third said: ‘Unfortunately I don’t think so, I think people are just too busy and indifferent. So many people around him, plus staff and everyone wasn’t paying attention or just not thinking about their problem.’

Criminal psychologist Tim Watson Munro told Daily Mail Australia it was “extraordinary” it took so long to find Hussein.

“It’s such a relief that he has been found, it’s just absolutely devastating because he has a range of disabilities,” Mr Munro said.

‘It’s not like this boy doesn’t stand out either. He is not someone who is easy to spot at the station because of his disability.

‘So it’s quite special that people can just watch.’

Hussein (pictured) was found under a stairwell at the Queen Street Medical Center – just 150 meters from the Auburn Police Station – by a staff member, two days after he went missing

Mr Munro said he could only speculate about why people did not help Hussein as he walked barefoot in a T-shirt and nappy at the train station.

He explained that people may be unwilling to help because they are “desensitized” to seeing people in need or reluctant to get involved in a situation.

“I think in general principles it’s all about desensitization. We see so many people in need on the streets these days that we are immune to it,” Munro said.

“I also think some may be reluctant to get involved in situations where they would rather walk away than show up.

“But this is a very different situation, because it concerns a severely disabled child, and I am sure the woman who found him was not the first to see him.”

Mr Munro also said it is ‘possible’ that people are experiencing the bystander effect – a social psychological theory which states that individuals are less likely to offer help when a large crowd is present.

Witnesses may not take responsibility because they believe there is another person more qualified to take control or because another person has already notified authorities.

A criminal psychologist said it was ‘extraordinary’ that it took so long to find Hussein (pictured). He explained that people may not have helped the young boy as many have become “desensitized” or are reluctant to get involved

Mr Munro also pointed to a “big city mentality” and compared it to the “immense” public assistance in finding missing mother-of-three Samantha Murphy in Ballarat, Victoria.

‘Of course (Hussein) was still in the area. Maybe it has a big urban dynamic, unlike a small city like Ballarat,” Mr Munro said.

“The public have really helped the local community… they have been very supportive.”

Hussein was found under a stairwell at the Queen Street Medical Center – just 500 feet from the Auburn Police Station – by an employee who thought he was checking the area after seeing reports of the missing child.

NSW Police Inspector Simon Glasser said Hussein was smiling and sitting upright when he was found and is “doing well on all counts”.

Chief Inspector Glasser said his family were ‘ecstatic’ when they heard the news he had been found and immediately arrived on the scene.

It is unclear how long the boy was in the stairwell and whether he had access to food or water. He was taken hospital as a precaution.