Father of children involved in botched 'child abduction' posts smiling selfie with kids on Facebook
A smiling selfie shows a father and his two children just days after a Channel Nine crew returned to Australia with mother Sally Faulkner following a 'botched kidnap attempt' which landed them in a Lebanese prison for two weeks.
Ali Elamine, 32, posted the photo on Facebook, showing him eating with kids Lehela, five, and Noah, three, at a cafe in Beirut.
Mr Elamine has not dropped charges against the child recovery team members hired by Channel Nine who seized the children on a Beirut street as they walked with Mr Elamine's mother on April 6.
"They were the ones who were the muscle on the ground," Mr Elamine said.
"They are the ones who orchestrated most of it.
"The kids obviously felt the effect of that. Noah still hates being outside, away from me. I think he is a bit scared someone might come and snatch him."
The Australian Family Court granted Ms Faulkner full custody of her two children but she gave up that right in exchange for Mr Elamine dropping child abduction charges.
That led to Ms Faulkner and the Channel Nine 60 Minutes crew's release after two weeks in a Beirut prison, although they still face possible criminal charges.
Last Thursday Ms Faulkner was reunited with her three-month-old son Eli after arriving back in Brisbane.
Before Ms Faulkner left Beirut for Australia she shared an ice cream, kisses and hugs with the children.
Ms Faulkner's tears came after the children left, her estranged husband Ali Elamine said.
"Sal had fun, the kids had fun, that's all that matters," he said.
"She's their mother and obviously they are going to enjoy time with her."
Mr Elamine will not let the children return to Australia anytime soon, but Ms Faulkner can visit them in Lebanon or a third country such as the UAE or Cyprus.
Asked if it was right to separate the children from their mother, Mr Elamine replied:
"No, no, we are discussing that, Sal and I, right now. If she is not here, she can Skype them and whenever she feels the need or wants to come over."
Last week Channel Nine acknowledged mistakes were made over their role in the botched child recovery attempt.
60 Minutes host Michael Usher said there was an internal review underway at the network regarding ‘editorial approval’ of the story and the actions of the news crew in Beirut.
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