A father who orchestrated the murder of his teenage daughter in a brutal honour killing has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Dutch court, though he remains on the run. The victim's two brothers were also convicted for their roles in the horrific crime.
A Fatal Deception and a Father's Plot
Khaled al Najjar, 53, fled the Netherlands to Syria just hours after the body of his 18-year-old daughter, Ryan al Najjar, was discovered in May 2024. Her remains were found in an isolated nature reserve near Knardijk, close to the town of Lelystad, approximately 40 miles northeast of Amsterdam.
The court in Lelystad heard how Ryan's brothers, Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad, 25, deceived her. They collected her from a friend's house in Rotterdam, promising to protect her from their angry father. In reality, they were following Khaled's direct orders to take her to deep water, weigh down her body, and, as he chillingly instructed, "let the fish eat her."
The Brutal Murder and a Failed Cover-Up
Prosecutors detailed how the brothers brought Ryan to their waiting father. She was strangled, bound with tape on her wrists and ankles, and had a patch placed over her mouth before being drowned in the swampy waters. The judge noted she "didn't stand a chance against three grown men."
While Muhanad was present at the killing, Mohamed stayed with the cars at the remote location. The court ruled this did not lessen his culpability. In the aftermath, the family focused on fabricating a story around Ryan's disappearance. Investigators noted the brothers never tried to call their missing sister because "they knew she couldn't answer."
Sentencing and a Hollow Concept of Honour
This week, the court handed down its verdict. Khaled al Najjar received a 30-year sentence, five years longer than prosecutors had requested. This is the maximum possible term in the Netherlands for someone convicted of a single murder. However, he is unlikely to serve it as he is hiding in Syria, a country with no extradition treaty with the Netherlands.
His sons, Mohamed and Muhanad, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. Only Muhanad was present to hear the judgement; both had previously denied involvement. The judge dismissed Khaled's claims from abroad that his sons were innocent, stating the court strongly suspected he was "taking the blame from a distant foreign country to shield the brothers from harm."
The motive for the murder was Ryan's so-called "Western behaviour," which her family claimed brought shame upon them. The presiding judge condemned this warped logic, declaring it "indigestible and incomprehensible" that a father would kill his own daughter. The judge added pointedly: "He talks a lot about honour, but has not taken any responsibility."
