A 53-year-old Syrian man is on the run after being convicted of murdering his teenage daughter in what officials describe as an honour killing. Khaled Al Najjar sought asylum in the Netherlands with his wife and eight children around a decade ago. The family was initially seen as model refugees, running a pizza business and a courier firm.
The victim, 18-year-old Ryan, was found gagged with her hands tied and ankles taped, submerged in a swamp in Lelystad in May 2024. Her brothers Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad, 25, received 20-year sentences for their roles in the killing. The court heard that tensions arose due to Ryan's 'westernisation' and her father's violent temperament.
Ryan had spent time in care homes and was under government-backed security. On her 18th birthday, she posted a TikTok video without a headscarf and wearing makeup, urging authorities to remove children from her parents' home. Al Najjar sent angry WhatsApp messages, calling her a 'snake' and saying 'a snake would be a better daughter'. Another message from the mother's phone read: 'She is a slut and should be killed.'
The court heard that Al Najjar restrained and strangled his daughter before leaving her body in water. One brother was present during the murder. Al Najjar sent emails to a Dutch newspaper claiming full responsibility and insisting his sons were innocent, but prosecutors dismissed this, arguing the brothers knowingly drove Ryan to her death.
Prosecutor Bart Niks stated: 'What is important is that all three men were there together. Without them, she would never have been on that dark path. They planned it and agreed to it.' He added: 'There is no place for this form of violence in the Netherlands... Ryan came to the Netherlands for safety, but she was never safe.'
