Man in Bergen knows how abducted girl is hidden in Yemen
In 2009, two children were abducted from Bergen to Yemen by the children’s mother. She left both children at an unknown address and returned the site to Norway.
The sibling couple, who are both Norwegian citizens, have since the abduction been held back in the war-torn and poor country.
Norwegian authorities and the police have not been able to get the children back to Norway.
Jealousy and revenge
The children’s mother was recently sentenced to four years in prison for gross evasion of care and child abduction.
A historically severe punishment according to public prosecutor Rudolf Christoffersen.
In the judgment that has been appealed, and thus not final, the court says that the woman’s motive for abducting the children has been revenge and jealousy in relation to the children’s father.
The children’s father, Khadar Mohammed Afrah, says he has fought for many years to bring the children back to Norway. He does not know where the children live.
– It has been an inhuman situation, for both the children and me, despairs the father of the children who are also Norwegian citizens. He now lives and works in London.
The children’s mother has not said what address the children live at in Yemen. Neither the police nor the court have received information about this.
But the man who today is a gift – and lives with the convicted woman – must know where the children now live.
The mother of the children has explained this in a police interrogation, and most recently in court recently. The woman then said that the daughter lives with her husband’s family in Yemen.
The husband knows
The children’s mother and the new husband live together in an apartment just south of Bergen city center.
The man was questioned by the police on Friday with the status of a witness in the case.
– Was he willing to cooperate?
– He has given an explanation without me wanting in depth on what he has said or to what extent he cooperates, says police attorney Janne Ringset Heltne in the West police district to TV 2.
It is public prosecutor Rudolf Christoffersen who has asked the police to interrogate the woman’s husband.
– We have now done that, says Heltne and confirms that the police have received the court’s order to investigate the convicted woman’s mobile phone.
According to TV 2’s experience, the police do not have any concrete knowledge after the interrogation about where the two children are kept hidden today.
Split the kids at different addresses
The two children are now divided and live at different addresses. Grandfather believes that it may be because it should be more difficult to track them down and get them transported out of the country.
Grandfather Khadar Mohammed Afrah has for several years tried to find out where the children live, without success. Nor have the Norwegian authorities, as earlier in our attempt to arrange a meeting with both children, managed to track down the two.
In Bergen now lives a man who, according to the woman he is married to, knows where his daughter is kept hidden and who can play an important role if the children are to be returned to Norway safely.
The question is what can the police do and will do next to get the children back to Norway?
Assistance lawyer Stian Smidesang has clear expectations for the police:
– I would have preferred that the man had been questioned by the police even earlier. This is a serious case and expects the police to follow up on the information that has emerged that the girl should be with her husband’s family, says Smidesang.
Man questioned
The child’s father and Smidesang have sharply criticized both the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for having previously prioritized and handled the case in a good way.
The West Police District has not previously wanted to answer a number of detailed questions from TV 2, but does not rule out that the police have made a mistake.
The person responsible for the prosecution in the Yemen case, Janne Ringnes Heltne, has previously stated to TV 2 that in the aftermath of the trial they will take a closer look at the case.
TV 2 has asked the West police district to answer the following questions:
– What is the police doing next now to try to get the children returned to Norway?
– The police are in dialogue with the public prosecutor about whether to take further investigative steps towards a possible appeal hearing.
– Otherwise, we aim to evaluate the case during June 2022. Apart from referring to the district court’s ruling, the police have no further comments at this time, answers police attorney Janne Ringset Heltne who is responsible for the prosecution in the case.
Miss the kids
The children’s father who followed the trial against the woman has only had occasional contact with the daughter via SMS. He got in touch with her during the years they had together in Bergen.
– I miss her and it’s tough to experience. In addition, the children have been robbed and live safely in Norway, says Khadar Mohammed Afrah to TV 2.
He has not put his son down since the boy was three months old. The daughter was five years old.
Today, the two Norwegian children are 12 and 16 years old.