Four young children abducted from The Hague; father took them to Syria

Four young children were abducted from The Hague by their father last month, the police announced on Thursday. The police believe the father took them to Syria.

The missing person reports for 2-year-old Tala, 3-year-old Sharifa, 5-year-old Berivan, and 7-year-old Hain Ahmad state that their father picked the two younger kids up from school under "false pretenses" on June 21st. He then picked up the two older children and they haven't been seen since. It is believed that he took them to Syria.

Their mother reported them missing a month ago, but the police only announced the children's abduction today due to privacy concerns, a police spokesperson said to Omroep West. "It is a balance between privacy and urgency. These are young children, with which the balance is even harder",the spokesperson said.

The police are in contact with the children's father, the spokesperson added. "We can't say anything about that. The investigation is ongoing and we are keeping in contact with the father." The spokesperson could not tell the broadcaster whether the police contacted the authorities in Syria. "That's pretty hard."