Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Trial of Calgary man charged with abducting daughter and leaving her in Iraq underway

Trial of Calgary man charged with abducting daughter and leaving her in Iraq underway

The pre-teen daughter of a Calgary man refused to return to Canada after a Middle East summer vacation, the dad’s lawyer told his kidnapping trial Monday.
Defence counsel Balfour Der said the decision to remain in Iraq instead of returning to Calgary in September 2018 was made by then-12-year-old Zahraa Al Aazawi.

“Mr. (Ali) Al Aazawi tried on numerous occasions to have his daughter come back to Canada with him, but she refused and the daughter also refused her mother’s attempts to get her to return,” Der told provincial court Judge Greg Stirling.

“Indeed, she still refuses today. So the defence will be that there is no kidnapping because the daughter left (Canada) with the consent of the mother and there is no child abduction, or kidnapping because when Mr. Al Aazawi attempted to bring the girl home as scheduled, the girl refused and evidence will be called to explain why a 12-year-old could not be forced to get on a plane by Mr. Al Aazawi.”

Al Aazawi faces charges of international kidnapping and child abduction against a parental custody order in connection with incidents between June 16 and Sept. 5, 2018, when he took his daughter overseas.

In an opening address to the court, Crown prosecutor Martha O’Connor said the child’s mother, Zainab Mahdi, agreed to allow her ex-husband to take their daughter to Egypt for the summer.

O’Connor, who argued the girl was only 10 at the time, turning 11 while overseas, was supposed to be returned home on Sept. 5, to enter Grade 6 at Midnapore elementary.

But sometime during the agreed-upon trip to Egypt, Al Aazawi took Zahraa to the couple’s native Iraq.

“Ms. Mahdi will say she did not consent to the child being taken to Iraq,” O’Connor said.

Despite the arrangement made between the parents, the girl was not returned to Calgary as planned, the prosecutor said.

In conversations in March and April 2019, between the parents, which were recorded under a judicial authorization, the accused confirmed the girl was in Iraq, O’Connor said.

Al Aazawi returned to Canada on April 4, 2019, and was arrested by Canadian Border Service Agency officials at Pearson International Airport and returned to Calgary.

While the girl remains in Iraq, O’Connor told Stirling she will attempt to call Zahraa as a witness and if that is unsuccessful will ask the judge to allow What’s App exchanges she had with her mother into evidence.

Meanwhile, Mahdi took the witness stand late in the day to begin her testimony.

“Did you agree for Zahraa not to come back to you?” O’Connor asked.

“Never,” the mother said.

Her testimony continues on Tuesday.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×