Brothers say their father is guilty of murdering their sister in honor killing

The brothers Muhanad (24) and Mohammed (22) Al N. denied the accusations that they killed their sister Ryan on Friday. "I would never do that," the brothers explained on Friday in the court in Lelystad. They called Ryan their "favorite sister." Both have said that their father committed the murder.

The two appeared in court for an initial preliminary hearing in their criminal case. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) suspects the brothers of killing the 18-year-old Ryan along with their father, Khaled Al N., on the night of 27 leading into May 28, with a premeditated plan.

Khaled Al N. traveled to his birth country of Syria via Turkey straight after the murder, according to the OM. He is internationally known. He has confessed via email and emphasized that he alone was responsible for the violent death of his daughter. The brothers are not to blame, he said. The Public Prosecution Service is considering having Khaled tried in absentia (i.e., without his presence).

The body of the young woman from Joure was found on May 28 in the water on the Knardijk in Lelystad by an employee of Staatbosbeheer. "A horrific find," said the prosecutor. Ryan Al Najjar had turned 18 shortly before this. Her hands and legs were tied together, and her mouth was covered with tape.

"Left behind like an object," said the prosecutor. The brothers from Rotterdam had picked her up shortly before her death. They allegedly only wanted to bring the girl home. There is no forensic evidence as of yet that shows that the brothers murdered their sister, but everything otherwise suggests "that they played a major role in her murder," said the OM.

Prosecutors believe that Ryan was a victim of an honor killing. The reason allegedly was that she was behaving too Western. "If I had a snake as a child, it would be more honorable than her," father Khaled wrote in a Whatsapp message.

The criminal file contains a string of chilling messages from Khaled to the brothers. He gave instructions from afar. "Let the fish eat her," he wrote. "That there will be no trace of her to be found."

According to the OM, the man joined his sons at around midnight, and Ryan's life was then taken. A precise cause of death has not yet been determined: Ryan may have drowned, but "pressing force" was also exerted on her throat.

The brothers were arrested on June 3. They have denied the charges thus far but did not want to make any other statements. They announced that they will do so soon. The court decided that the two will stay in preliminary imprisonment. The following interim hearing is on December 6.