Fuat Kircaali

Yesterday (Sunday) AP reported that "State Dept. issued travel warning on Syria" and this morning (Monday) Reuters filed a follow-up report that "US offers free flights out for employees in Syria." As of this morning, and since July 2010, my abducted daughter Sofia Kircaali, a US citizen, remains in Syria and in harm's way. Fox News: ▸ video ▸ story On Friday, I watched videos on the Internet showing violence inside a mosque one block away from where Sofia currently lives with her mother and grandmother. Twitter updates on Sofia @FuatKircaali I already wrote two blog posts on Sofia's status in Syria. Both posts were read by Washington, by our Embassy in Damascus, Syria, as well as the Syrian government both here in DC and in Damascus. ▸ Open Letter to the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad ▸ Open Letter to the First Lady of Syria Asma al-Assad This morning, on Monda... (more)

Feras Bankosly, Uncle Who Kidnapped Sofia to Syria, Is MD in Chicago

More than a year ago, Sofia was abducted from her home in Lighthouse Point, Florida, by her Syrian National uncle Feras Bankosly, MD, who is practicing medicine in the Chicago, IL, area. Fox News: ▸ video ▸ story Last March, a Florida judge issued an order to pick Sofia up from the uncle's house in Chicago and return her to her home in Florida. Due to a jurisdiction question in court - since Sofia had never lived more than 6 months in one state at the time of her abduction - the judge later gave temporary custody to her mom until the court could determine final jurisdiction betw... (more)

A Bedtime Story for Sofia Who Remains Abducted in Syria

Diane Macedo of Fox News worked on Sofia's story for more than a month, studying documents, interviewing more than a dozen people, and fact-checking before publishing her news story on Monday and airing our interview. Fox News: ▸ video ▸ story On Monday, she also published a detailed article on Sofia that was picked up by a dozen or so media outlets around the world during the week. ▸ Fox News Story on Sofia's Abduction to Syria When Sofia returns safely home, she will pay her first visit to Diane at the Fox News headquarters in New York City. ▸ US Leaves Its Youngest Citizen Beh... (more)

Next for My American Baby in Syria: A Refugee Camp in Turkey

The US State Department on Monday said that it has ordered some non-essential US embassy officials in Damascus and all embassy dependents to leave Syria because of the "uncertainty and volatility" in the country. On Wednesday Bloomberg reported that "Turkey considers it likely that Syrians may flee the country and has designated areas for refugee camps and hospitals in the cities of Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin near the Syrian border, it said. Additional mine-sweeping equipment has been sent to police stations in the area, it said." Fox News: ▸ video ▸ story As ... (more)

Sofia's Abduction to Syria: Interview with Diane Macedo of Fox News

Diane Macedo of Fox News worked on Sofia's story for more than a month, studying documents, interviewing more than a dozen people, and fact-checking before publishing her news story on Monday and airing our interview. Here is the link to the Fox News on-camera interview. This morning, on Monday, she also published a detailed article on Sofia: ▸ Fox News Story on Sofia's Abduction to Syria When Sofia returns safely home, she will pay her first visit to Diane at Fox News headquarters in New York City. ▸ US Leaves Its Youngest Citizen Behind Syria I already wrote two blog posts on So... (more)