Man Kidnapped By Brother-In-Law Over Suspicion That He Married For Visa

A video of a kidnapping carried out by a group of men in Australia was presented in Parramatta District Court, New South Wales, on November 28. The incident, which occurred on January 11, 2023, saw Kodar Faytrouni, Safwan Hussein, Ali Hamad and Abud Elkerdi travel from Melbourne to Guildford to abduct Younis. The motivation behind the attack was linked to Faytrouni's belief that Younis married his sister only to obtain an Australian visa.

The footage, recorded by Hamad, shows Hussein restraining Younis in a headlock inside a vehicle, while Faytrouni sits next to him. Additional clips show Faytrouni assaulting Younis at the residence of the victim's mother before he was transported to another property, as per the NY Post.

The ordeal ended when police intervened and intercepted the men's vehicle. All four defendants have pleaded guilty to taking or detaining a person in the company.

During the sentencing proceedings, Faytrouni's lawyer claimed his client's low intellectual capacity played a role in the “bizarre” nature of the crime. However, Judge Stephen Hanley pointed out that the motive stemmed from Faytrouni's refusal to accept his sister's choice of partner, saying, “It shows a complete failure to allow this woman to select who she wants to have as her partner.” The judge called the act misogynistic and described the crime as deliberate and targeted.

Judge Hanley expressed outrage at the conduct, stating, “They seem to be able to find him, break into his house, extract him from his house, assault him in the car, force him to make a divorce according to Islamic law while his partner listens on the phone with a distressed condition … and you say this is below mid-range (of objective seriousness)? This man and his comrades seem to have a strange attitude towards women.”

Crown prosecutor Adam Muddle explained that Faytrouni believed it was his duty to protect his sister and thought her marriage lacked sincerity. Muddle said, “The Crown submits that this is quite a degree of insight and a degree of knowledge in terms of the motivations in the reasons behind this offending.”

The court proceedings for Faytrouni and Elkerdi were postponed until 20 December, following Elkerdi's hospitalisation after collapsing during the lunch break. Hamad and Hussein are scheduled to reappear in court on 13 December.