Mother calls for return of British born child abducted to Saudi Arabia three years ago

A mother has called for the return of her British-born child after he was abducted and taken to Saudi Arabia three years ago.

Ranem Elkhalidi has spoken out after her son was abducted to Saudi Arabia, criticising the UK Government for their inability to do anything about it.

Ranem’s son, Ibrahim, was taken from his home in the UK to the Middle Eastern country by his father, Ranem's ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj.

It was exactly three years ago today, November 11, when Ranem last saw her son when she dropped him off for school in Frodsham, Cheshire.

She had been involved in a new custody agreement with her ex-husband, which prevented either parent from being able to take their child out of the country, and that meant that he was set to pick Ibrahim up from school in the afternoon of the 11th.

The next week, she received a call from the school informing her that Ibrahim had not been taken to school the next week by his dad.

Ranem had worried this day may come, even sending a letter pleading with the Saudi embassy prior to his abduction urging them not to issue Ibrahim a passport.

Ranem and Ibrahim were asylum seekers, meaning that their passports had been confiscated; however, an emergency passport was issued by the Saudi consulate.

Shockingly, the Saudi consulate claims that this was approved by a ‘relevant Government agency’ in the UK, despite there having been an active court order preventing Ibrahim from being taken out of the country. An arrest warrant is active for Hamzah; however, there is no extradition treaty with the UK.

Speaking exclusively to LADbible ahead of the third anniversary of his abduction, Ranem spoke with frustration about how she was not believed prior to Hamzah abducting their son.

She said: “It's so frustrating because, I said that he could do this, and they all ignored me.

After a long day of speaking to media about #bringibrahome it was nice to show Ranem and friends around Parliament today. pic.twitter.com/xnA5OUrokm

— Mike Amesbury (@MikeAmesburyMP) July 4, 2023

“I went to the police at some point and I said ‘Look, like, he could do this and take him’ They were like ‘no, if you don't have a court order, we can do anything about it’.

“When I did the court order, nothing happened [to prevent Hamzah taking Ibrahim out the country] as well.”

She said that going from hearing to hearing after Ibrahim was taken made her angry, adding: “It's just mentally draining, and I didn’t know what's going on. Like, ‘Where's Ibrahim? What's he doing?’”

Whilst the issue was initially raised in parliament by her MP, Mike Amesbury, at the time of the abduction, she has since moved and says she has received little support from the UK Government.

Ibrahim was born in the UK and, as Ranem has since become a British citizen, would be eligible to become a British citizen himself.

Ranem was blocked by Hamzah’s family when she tried to find out details about how her son was doing, and states she still worries for Ibrahim’s safety.

She said: “Since that day [he was abducted], I have not seen my son, not heard his voice, and not received any information about his wellbeing, schooling, safety, or even his exact location.

“For almost three years now, I have woken up every single day not knowing where my child is. Ibrahim is not ‘a child in a family dispute’. He was a child with a home, a school, friends, routines, and stability here.

“His classmates still remember him and still speak about him. They have written letters and drawings for him. One of his school friends even wrote to Buckingham Palace asking for help to bring him home.

“They miss him. They remember him. And I miss him more than words can ever express.”

The past three years have been devastating for Ranem, whose family are from Palestine, as she stated that everyone on her dad’s side of her family had lost their homes and they had ‘lost so many people’.

Ranem, however, remains hopeful for the safe return of her son, remembering him fondly.

When asked if she had a message for Ibrahim, she simply said: “That I love him so much, and I miss him.”

LADbible has contacted the Home Office and the Foreign Office for comment.