Iraqi Family Arrested in Arizona Following Alleged ‘Honor Kidnapping’of Woman for Dating Non-Muslim Man
Richard Moorhead
Peoria, Arizona police arrested six members of an Iraqi family for an alleged kidnapping plot targeting a relative in a relationship with a non-Muslim man last month, in an incident familiar to accounts of ‘honor killings’ in Europe and America.
Six members of the Alfartousi family are accused of attempting to kidnap a 20-year old pregnant relative on several occasions, with police suspecting they intended to send the victim back to Iraq. In an incident at a medical facility in Avondale, Arizona, the victim of the alleged plot describes being ambushed, with her relatives taking her purse, phone and her boyfriend’s gun.
The alleged attempted kidnapping involved the young woman’s father, her mother, a sister and three brothers.
In an earlier incident at a hotel, the victim’s brother allegedly grabbed her in a bear hug, only relenting when her boyfriend confronted him with a gun. In court documents, the victim’s boyfriend also recounts receiving threatening voicemails from the victim’s brother, in which he threatened to kidnap the boyfriend’s 15-year old sister.