Dutch teen, 18, allegedly drowned in swamp by brothers for 'shameful', Western' behaviour

A father and his two sons allegedly gagged, bound, and threw an 18-year-old girl into a swamp, after learning that she had a boyfriend.

Mohamed Al Najjar, 23, and his brother Muhanad, 25, allegedly committed the crime after she began leading a "Western" lifestyle.

Her father, Khaled Al Najjar, allegedly orchestrated the murder, directing and instructing his sons to kill their sister.

The girl had refused to wear a headscarf, associated with men, and used social media, acts which they believed shamed the family.

Prosecutors in the Netherlands have formally classified her death an honour killing, reported the NL Times.

Body found bound and gagged in swamp

The girl, Ryan Al Najjar, disappeared from her family home in the Netherlands on May 22, 2024.

Six days later on May 28, a passer-by discovered her body submerged in a swamp with her hands tied behind her back, ankles taped together, and her mouth gagged, according to The Telegraph.

Investigators later found traces of her father’s DNA under her fingernails, suggesting she fought back before being killed.

Both Mohamed and Muhanad were arrested soon after Ryan’s body was found and have been held in custody since.

“What must she have feared,” the prosecutor said.

“In the middle of the night, in complete darkness, in a completely isolated place.”

Before her death, Ryan had been under police monitoring and had received protection due to fears for her safety.

That protection was withdrawn shortly before she was killed, though authorities have not disclosed why, reported Daily Mail.

Father ordered sons to kill her

According to Dutch prosecutors, the teen's father ordered the killing and instructed his sons to pick Ryan up, drive her to an isolated location, gag her, and throw her into the water.

Khaled has since reportedly fled to northern Syria, where he is believed to have remarried.

The prosecution called this act "cowardly".

He will be tried in absentia.

Both brothers deny involvement and claim their father acted alone, but prosecutors referenced intercepted chat communications which suggest the brothers may have been directly involved.

Khaled also reportedly sent two emails to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf as well, claiming he was solely responsible.

But the prosecutors have rejected this claim.

Forensic analysis confirms that all three were present at the crime scene, even if their individual roles remain uncertain.

“Khaled was the driving force, but without his sons, Ryan would not have been there at all,” the prosecution added.

"Honour killings are completely unacceptable...This is a form of femicide.”

They are seeking 20-year sentences for each of the brothers, and 25 years for their father.

​​A verdict is expected on Jan. 5, 2026.

Father cannot be extradited

The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security said the Netherlands currently have no means to compel Syria to return Khaled, as official channels for criminal cooperation with the Syrian authorities are not operational.

But Syria’s Ministry of Justice disputes this, insisting its system has been “fully restored” and that it is ready to provide legal assistance.

Syrian justice minister Mazhar al-Wais said the Netherlands had not made any request regarding this case.

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