Lackawanna, NY – A father and son have been arrested and charged for a kidnapping plot against a woman who refused to enter into a forced marriage in Yemen.
A criminal complaint has been filed against Khaled Abughanem, 50, and Waleed Abughanem, 32, both of Lackawanna, NY, both of whom have been arrested for conspiring to kidnap people abroad. It carries a maximum sentence of life in prison for the charge.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI began investigating the travel of an adult American citizen in December 2022, as stated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Maeve E. Huggins, who are handling the case. In an attempt to force her into an arranged marriage, investigators believe that the victim was tricked into traveling to Yemen in December 2022 from the Buffalo area. In the complaint, it is stated that defendant Khaled Abughanem, the victim’s father, and her brother, Waleed Abughanem, discussed the possibility of killing her if she did not comply with their wishes.
A subsequent investigation determined that the victim traveled to Mexico without her family’s knowledge in September 2021. After discovering where she was, the victim’s family traveled to Mexico and physically forced her to return to the United States. The victim stated that her father had warned her that she would either travel abroad or be buried in the backyard. The victim attempted to flee her residence but discovered that all the doors had been locked. Additionally, she was forced to withdraw from the University of Buffalo, lost access to the internet and social media, and was constantly threatened with harm. She was instructed that if she did not comply and agree to an arranged marriage, she would be locked up in her home without contact with the outside world forever and her fiancé would be murdered.
As of September 17, 2021, the victim’s fiancé contacted the Lackawanna Police Department stating that he had not been able to contact the victim for over a week. The Lackawanna Police responded to the Abughanem residence and advised the family to contact the victim’s fiancé. As a result, the Abughanem family and victim left Lackawanna and traveled to Sanaa, Yemen, where the victim is currently held by family. She stated that her father stated, “You are no longer in the West; you are in the Middle East, where women like you are killed.” She stated that her father offered her a marriage for which he would receive $500,000. However, she refused, and as a result, she was physically assaulted. Despite repeated calls from the victim’s fiancé, Lackawanna Police responded to the Abughanem residence, but were informed that the victim was fine and that welfare checks should not be conducted. A few members of the family left Yemen in April 2022 and returned to the United States, leaving the victim in Yemen, under the supervision of two of her brothers.