An American woman planned a wedding in Mexico and invited her family to attend, but instead of enjoying the festivities, her father and brother reportedly kidnapped her and tricked her into traveling to Yemen.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, the woman, who was not named, traveled to Mexico to marry in September 2021. When her family found out where she was, they allegedly got her to return to the United States.
The victim's father, Khaled Abughanem, 50, and her brother Waleed Abughanem, 32, reportedly threatened the woman with death if she did not listen to her father's demands, the release noted. "You are no longer in the West, you are in the Middle East, women like you are killed," said to his daughter, according to the DOJ.
She alleged that she was trapped inside a building when she tried to flee. Khaled Abughanem continued to make demands on his daughter, who tried desperately to escape.
The victim's family tricked her into returning to the US.
Court documents show that the victim's family allegedly tried to get her fiancé to pay them a $30,000 dowry to marry her, Insider reported. The victim reportedly challenged her father, who threatened to throw her down 12 stories.
The next day, Khaled Abughanem allegedly came to a "gentleman's agreement" with his daughter's fiancé and granted the couple permission to marry as long as the event was hosted in the US. The victim reportedly agreed, but it turned out to be a ruse.
The woman's family disapproved of her engagement.
According to the DOJ, the victim's family held her captive in their New York home. Insider reported that she had no privacy, even when using the bathroom. Her father allegedly told her she would face severe consequences if she did not comply and marry the man he wanted, including killing her fiancé. The DOJ release stated the victim said her father told her "she would be traveling outside the United States whether she liked it or not, or he would bury her in the backyard."
He then reportedly barricaded her in the home and took away all access to the outside world, so she had no phone or internet access. His daughter withdrew from the University at Buffalo under duress, fearful she would die if she did not.
The victim's fiancé became suspicious.
The victim's fiancé reportedly contacted the Lackawanna Police Department on September 17, 2021, and said he had not spoken to his fiancé for more than a week. Police went to the Abughanem home and told the family to contact the victim's fiancé. The family ignored the officers' request and fled the country with the victim, taking her to Sanaa, Yemen.
The victim's family is housing her in Yemen.
The victim's father allegedly arranged to have her marry a man other than her fiancé, for which he would receive $500,000. The victim said that she refused, and she was reportedly physically assaulted in retaliation.
The victim's fiancé continually followed up with police.
The DOJ release stated that the victim's fiancé repeatedly called Lackawanna police, who went to the Abughanem home and said the victim was OK and to please stop making welfare checks. In April 2022, some members of the Abughanem family left Yemen and returned to the US, leaving the victim behind.
The victim's father and brother are in police custody.
In court documents obtained by Insider, the victim alleged that her father had vile words for her. "I should've killed you before I left Yemen, you b—-, my biggest mistake was to keep you alive," he reportedly said.
According to the DOJ statement, the victim's father, Kahled Abughanem, and her brother Waleed Abughanem, have been charged with conspiracy to kidnap persons in a foreign country. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A detention hearing originally scheduled for February 17 was delayed until March 2, Insider noted.
