Body of Syrian woman missing from Almere likely found in forest; Syrian man wanted
A dead body found in a wooded area in Almere on Thursday is likely that of a 24-year-old Syrian woman who has been missing for a week. Omar Alhamad, a Syrian man wanted in connection with her disappearance and death, is still at large, authorities said. She was last seen entering his car voluntarily, but police have yet to say whether they knew each other.
An individual walking into the forest spotted the deceased woman and contacted authorities at noon. Police officers and detectives arrived in large numbers to carry out a forensic investigation and to canvass the scene. They set up a staging area in the parking lot of the forest, and cordoned off the entrance along the Homeruspad. A few hours later, they alerted media of the discovery.
Officially, the remains were still considered unidentified at the end of the afternoon, but police said a match to the missing woman was highly probable. "There are strong indications that her death was the result of a crime," police wrote in an update. Alhamad, 34, was initially the subject of a police bulletin about the woman's possible abduction.
"The man previously mentioned as a suspect is still considered a suspect," the police statement noted. A spokesperson at the scene told media outlets they are only focused on Alhamad at the moment, and no other persons of interest are in the picture.
The victim was last seen voluntarily entering the suspect's station wagon at 10 a.m. on August 7 near the Albert Heijn supermarket on the Olivier van Noorstraat. Alhamad's connection to the woman has not been revealed, but police were quick to say they feared the woman’s life was in danger. The site is about 1.5 kilometers away from where the body was found.
Alhamad was described by police as having a stocky build, short dark hair, a light to light-olive complexion, and being of Syrian descent. Police asked the public to be on the lookout for either him, or his grey Peugeot 307SW with license plate 36-LH-RN.
It was previously reported that Alhamad may have been banned from being in the Netherlands. The Ministry of Justice and Security issued a two-year entry ban against a man with the same name and birth year as Alhamad on March 12, 2024. The ministry has not commented on the reports that Alhamad was banned from entering the country.
Authorities asked anyone with more information about the victim, the suspect, or the car to contact them immediately. "We have leads, and we are currently investigating further," police spokesperson Ellemijn Pinkse told Omroep Flevoland.
She could not give an exact number of tips detectives have received, but she said they are taking all calls seriously. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Alhamad is now driving a different vehicle.
