Mother begs for the return of kidnapped boy who was snatched by his father and taken to Saudi Arabia

A devastated mother has begged for the safe return of her seven-year-old son after he was kidnapped and taken to Saudi Arabia by his father.

Ranem Elkhalid fears she will never see Ibrahim Faraj again after he was abducted by his dad Hamzah Faraj last November amidst a custody battle between the two.

The mother said she is living ‘any parent’s worst nightmare’ and that she has been ‘trying everything’ to get her little boy home.

Ranem last saw Ibrahim, who was born in the UK and only speaks English, when she dropped him off at the school gates in Warrington, Cheshire, on November 11.

Hamzah was due to pick their son up as agreed after school, but a few days later Ranem discovered Ibrahim had been taken to Saudi Arabia by her estranged husband.

He is now being hunted by British cops for child abduction after he broke a court order preventing from taking Ibrahim outside of the UK.

Writing on Facebook about her son’s disappearance, distraught Ranem said she was not able to hug her son and tell him she ‘loved him’ before he was taken away.

‘Since that moment, I have been trying everything and I’m still trying to bring him back here as there’s no life for him there,’ she said.

‘I didn’t even have the chance to hug him and let him know how much I love him.

‘I really need your help all to not only bring my son back*It’s any parent’s worst nightmare.’

Court documents reveal how Ranem, a Palestinian national, had married Hamzah, a Saudi national, when she was 16 and he was 24.

In 2014, they moved to England where Ibrahim was born, but his parents’ relationship then deteriorated and it completely broke down in June 2021.

They began custody proceedings in 2022, and fearing abduction, Ranem persuaded a judge to make an order stopping Hamzah from removing Ibrahim from the UK.

But nine days later, on November 11, Hamzah broke the order when he took Ibrahim from his school and brought him to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Ranem found out he was missing on November 14 after his school told her that he had not been attending lessons.

She then phoned the police before later learning that his dad had taken him out of the country altogether.

Ranem last saw Ibrahim, who was born in the UK and only speaks English, when she dropped him off at the school gates in Warrington, Cheshire, on November 11

Court documents show that Hamzah is aware of the ongoing case but has not complied with its orders and has not returned his son to the UK.

He has also not allowed Ibrahim to have any contact with his mother and has not kept her informed about his welfare or his specific whereabouts.

A spokesperson from Cheshire Police confirmed that Hamzah is now wanted for child abduction for breaking the court’s orders.

They said: ‘On Monday 14 November 2022, police received reports that a child had been taken out of the country by their father without permission from their mother.

‘It was reported that seven-year-old Ibrahim Faraj had been taken to Saudi Arabia by his father, which was in breach of the custody order which was made at Liverpool Family Court on 3 November 2022.

‘Following the reports officers have been engaging closely with both parents, but despite their best efforts he has not yet been returned to the UK.

‘Therefore, the father of the child has now been circulated as wanted for child abduction on the national police database.

‘All the appropriate authorities have been made aware and officers are continuing to do all they can to return the child to the UK.’