After 18 years of searching, the kidnapped Isra from Goor in the Netherlands, has been found. The now 21-year-old woman apparently lives in the Libyan capital Kand is in good health.
Isra is now a devout Muslim and no longer wants to have any contact with her family in the Netherlands, reported news channel RTV Oost.
For Isra’s grandparents, a bitter disappointment awaits after all these years. Grandpa Ger and Grandma Clary finally know their granddaughter is still alive, but the chances of them ever being able to see Isra again are very slim.
At the moment, Isra lives with her biological father, Hasèn Aksema. Her father was also the one who horribly killed his ex-wife, hairdresser Marisse van der Burg from Goor, in August 2004 and then kidnapped Isra to his homeland Libya, reported RTV Oost.
Isra was recently found thanks to the efforts of retired detective Hans Kamperman and his former colleague, Elly Sjouw, who still works for the police. Incidentally, both did this in a personal capacity, outside their work for the police.
Kamperman and Sjouw’s main motivations were helping Grandpa Ger and Grandma Clary from Peize in Drenthe. “Especially for them, we have always continued our search,” said Sjouw in an interview with RTV Oost.
The detectives relied mainly on people with contacts in Libya when suddenly someone offered to help them, who was given the alias David for his own safety.
Elly Sjouw, who coordinated the Facebook page of the search for Isra for years told RTV Oost, “this man reported via social media at the end of August. He has lived in the Netherlands for about ten years and speaks Dutch well. An acquaintance had pointed out our search to him and had asked him to help us. David was very enthusiastic.” He says that he must have also seen Isra in Tripoli around 2008. “I won’t stop until you have hair,” he told Kamperman and Sjouw.
Eventually, David was able to locate Isra, who was at the time in the home of her father. After several attempts to persuade Aksema, David was able to see Isra, reported RTV Oost.
However, Isra said in very clear terms that she wants nothing to do with her family in the Netherlands. She goes through life as a Muslim and lives according to the Koran, is engaged, and is about to get married. The Netherlands is a closed book to her, she said very firmly, according to RTV Oost.