The Government is preparing to issue an international Red Notice arrest warrant for a father who took his two Irish children to Egypt over three years ago, reports The Mirror.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris, along with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, are set to begin the process.
This decision follows a private and lengthy meeting held last Monday between Mr Harris and Mandy Kelly, the heartbroken mother of missing boys Zayn, aged seven, and Kareem, aged four, reports The Mirror.
The children vanished in March 2022 while on a holiday in Cairo, just days before their planned return to Ireland, after being taken by their father.
It is believed the man and the children are staying with his mother. Although Egyptian courts granted custody to Mandy Kelly, police in the area have failed to locate them, reports The Mirror.
According to Egyptian officials, the only way to secure the father’s arrest and the children’s return is by issuing a Red Notice arrest warrant.
In a statement yesterday, the Dundalk mother, who has travelled to Cairo eight times in search of her sons, said: “The new commitments from Minister Harris will hopefully get my boys back. Over three years have passed since the Irish High Court ordered their immediate return but yet they remain in Egypt. They have been denied their most basic rights to family life, education and safety. Despite repeated requests through official channels, I have not been provided with any information on my children. Minister Harris listened with great empathy in a case that is diplomatically sensitive and profoundly humane. He has agreed that Irish diplomatic observers will attend the next Cairo court hearing to help safeguard Zayn and Kareem’s rights. The Tanaiste will ask the Minister for Justice to seek escalation from a Yellow to Red Notice for an Interpol arrest warrant and more private diplomatic talks will take place with the authorities in Cairo,” reports The Mirror.
Mandy also revealed she will travel to Egypt for the ninth time next week in another attempt to recover her children.
She is expected to appear in court again after her mother-in-law appealed the Egyptian court’s decision granting Mandy custody – a ruling which local police have yet to enforce.
She said: “I will continue to do everything within my power until my sons are safely home,” reports The Mirror.
She further urged the Irish Government to create a new bilateral agreement with Egypt focused on the return of abducted children.
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