Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, allegedly used a £10 visa loophole to enter the UK before crossing the border to Ireland, where his girlfriend was later found dead. He has since fled to Jordan, and police are seeking his extradition to face a murder charge.
The victim, Jamey Carney, 43, an American who moved to Killarney, County Kerry, in 2021, was found dead at her home on July 7. She was discovered by her 13-year-old daughter as she returned from a sleepover. According to The Sun, an autopsy established she died from suffocation and was bludgeoned with a toilet cistern lid.
Visa loophole and asylum claim
Al-Saqar, an asylum seeker, is understood to have bought a £10 online travel authorisation visa to enter Northern Ireland. He then crossed the border to Dublin, where he lodged an asylum claim. The claim was rejected, but he was granted subsidiary protection, a legal status for those who do not qualify as refugees but face a risk of serious harm in their home country.
The couple is reported to have met at a local pro-Palestine protest after Al-Saqar travelled to Ireland via the UK.
Flight to Jordan and extradition
Al-Saqar is understood to have fled in the early hours of July 7, boarding a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul before travelling on to Jordan. Officers have reportedly flown out to arrange his extradition to Ireland so that he can face a murder charge.
Tributes to 'ray of sunshine'
At her funeral earlier this month, Ms Carney was remembered as a "ray of sunshine", according to RTE. Chief celebrant Kieran O'Brien said her move from her home in New York to Ireland was "the best decision of her life", leaving her family happy that she and her daughter had "found a place that they call home".
He also called Ms Carney's daughter "the light of her life" and acknowledged that condolences had come in from "all over the country".
