The Syrian brothers Al-N. and their father were sentenced to long prison terms on Monday afternoon for the murder of eighteen-year-old Ryan, their sister and daughter respectively. The Central Netherlands court sentenced Muhanad (25) and Mohamed (23) to twenty years in prison for their involvement in the murder with a “significant honour-related component”.
Khaled al N. (53) was convicted in absentia: he left for Syria after the murder. He has been sentenced to thirty years in prison – the most severe sentence that the judge can sentence for a single murder without recidivism. The Public Prosecution Service had demanded 25 years and twenty years against the brothers.
When pronouncing the verdict, the court chairman of the multiple criminal chamber in Lelystad expressed her doubts whether Khaled al N. should ever be part of a free society again. The fact that the father, according to the judge, a man “who talks his mouth full about honour”, had fled to a country with which the Netherlands has no legal assistance request relationship, was additionally criticized by the judge.
Khaled al N. stated that he killed his daughter alone on an impulse, but the court did not agree. On May 27, 2024, the brothers picked up Ryan from an acquaintance in Rotterdam. Six days later she was found gagged and tied in the Oostvaardersplassen. She was still alive when she entered the water, the coroner determined.
Ryan was murdered after she wanted to turn away from her family, who fled Syria to the Netherlands in 2011 and settled in Joure. In the eyes of her brothers and father, she disgraced the family. On the night of May 25 to 26, she appeared on TikTok without a head covering, after which the brothers tracked her down and lured her to the Oostvaardersplassen. The court speaks of manipulation by the brothers, who indicated that they would protect Ryan from her father. The judge: “This cold calculation is in stark contrast to the loving family members they claim to be.”
Based on messages and GPS data from telephones, the court determined that Muhanad and Mohamed were extensively involved in the “planned murder in a family context.” For example, Muhanad’s phone has established a movement pattern that corresponds to the specific height difference at the Knardijk, where the body was found. Traces were also found on his shoes that were consistent with vegetation at the crime scene. The younger Mohamed may not have been at the crime scene, but according to the judge, that does not matter when determining his complicity.
The brothers have always denied being involved. They have been in pre-trial detention for quite some time: 581 days. One of the brothers, Muhanad, was present in court at the sentencing and said he was going to “clear his name” before leaving with the police to his cell.
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