Jamey Carney murder: Legal battle to bring suspect to Ireland could take months

Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, was held by Jordanian police over the weekend, five days after he left Ireland following the New York native’s killing in Killarney, Co. Kerry.

Gardaí, Interpol, Europol and Jordanian police, alongside US authorities, had collaborated to track down Mr Al-Saqar following discussions with the US State Department’s office, Extra.ie understands.

Despite his detention, legal battles are expected over whether he will ever set foot in Ireland. Extra.ie understands that under Jordanian law he can be held without charge for months.

Gardaí had not issued a request to Jordanian authorities to arrest Mr Al-Saqar, and senior officers were perplexed by the development and were not certain of the legal basis for the arrest, several security sources told Extra.ie.

They explained that this was because the Garda murder investigation is still in its infancy and they have not compiled all of the evidence.

Ms Carney’s mother Kathy, and her sister, Devon Bennett, have arrived in Ireland from the US and have launched a GoFundMe appeal to cover repatriation costs and help Ms Carney’s daughter, Michaela, remain in Ireland, which she now calls home.

There has been an international outcry following the death of Jamey Carney on Monday, who had been living in Kerry for nearly five years. Her badly beaten body was discovered by her 13-year-old daughter in the bedroom of the home they rented on Tuesday.

Mr Al-Saqar took the 3am bus last Tuesday morning directly from Killarney to Dublin Airport just hours after Ms Carney’s death. From there, he was able to use his own passport to travel to Turkey.

Mr Al-Saqar is believed to have been traveling towards his hometown of Al-Husn in Jordan, when he was picked up by local authorities. That area is 7km from Irbid and is controlled by tribal authorities.

Jamey Carney.

The 28-year-old had initially failed in his attempt to claim asylum in Ireland and had claimed he was Palestinian and had no documentation. He appealed the decision and was allowed to remain living at an IPAS center in Killarney.

He befriended Ms Carney and the two started a romantic relationship. Despite his detention, legal battles are expected over whether he will ever set foot in Ireland.

In the meantime, gardaí will be able to build a file which will then be sent to the DPP. If the DPP deems that he should be charged, gardaí can then go about getting him sent back to Ireland.

Behind the scenes, diplomats from Ireland, the US and Jordan have been in contact. It will be through these diplomatic channels that the legal framework for returning Mr Al-Saqar will be developed, sources stressed last night.

It is believed at this stage that the US involvement in the case is what spurred authorities in Jordan to arrest Ms Carney’s boyfriend.

The US provides Jordan with a minimum of $ 1.45 billion (€ 1.27 billion) per year in economic and military assistance and has at least 4,000 of its troops stationed in military bases in the country, figures from the US Government state.

It is considered a key geopolitical ally of the US. During the search for Mr Al-Saqar, gardaí requested help from Interpol, whose US liaison point is the United States National Central Bureau.

There is also the slim possibility that Mr Al-Saqar could be extradited to the US as the US does have an extradition treaty with Jordan, although it is contested by the Jordanian state.

Following Ms Carney’s tragic death, Jordanians living in Ireland came together and issued a statement decrying what happened to the mother of one.

Jamey Carney.

In the statement, the Jordanians in Ireland Forum said: ‘This is an unjustifiable act under any circumstances, a brutal crime that defies all religious, human, and moral values, representing a flagrant assault on the most sacred human right: the right to life. We unequivocally condemn this horrific crime in the strongest possible terms.

‘In this context, the forum highly commends the swift response and efficiency of the Public Security Directorate in Jordan, which led to the arrest last night, where he is currently detained pending further investigation.’

In a GoFundMe appeal launched following Ms Carney’s death, her sister Devon Bennett said she and her mother are working with the gardaí and social services in Killarney and want ‘to make sure my niece can stay in the land she loves, especially while grieving this tragic loss’.

She said: ‘Either you may have known Jamey and our family, from any stage of her short but wild and beautiful life, or you came upon this GoFundMe after hearing about her terrible murder, we cannot stress enough that every single dollar (or euro) will truly count.‘

Jamey was an insanely caring human being who dedicated so much of herself, her energy, and her time to fighting for the rights of others. We grew up in New York, but she spent much of her best years with Michaela in the States in Bergen County, NJ.

‘But their true home, where they both truly felt they belonged, was the beautiful town of Killarney.’

Speaking yesterday, Tánaiste Simon Harris said gardaí will work ‘hand in glove’ with their international partners.

He said: ‘Our sympathies are with the Carney family after the horrific loss of Jamey… We obviously don’t comment on ongoing investigations beyond that but Ireland will be engaging intensively to make sure justice is served.’

Also speaking to reporters, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said that the lack of an extradition treaty between Ireland and Jordan will make an extradition more challenging.

However, he pointed to the newly established treaty with the UAE, which saw Daniel Kinahan and his lieutenant Seán McGovern detained in Dubai.

He said: ‘No matter where you are, the gardaí will seek to pursue you. It obviously is difficult… but that situation happened in the United Arab Emirates, and we secured an agreement with the United Arab Emirates.’

In a statement, gardaí said: ‘An Garda Síochána is aware of the arrest of a male in Jordan by the Jordanian authorities. Any further comment is a matter for the Jordanian authorities.’

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.