The family of an 18-year-old student from South Dublin who is being detained in an Iraqi prison has accused the Department of Foreign Affairs of “doing nothing” to secure the return of their loved one to Ireland.
On May 20 of this year Abbas Alubaidi - who is both an Iraqi and an Irish citizen - was arrested at his uncle’s house in Baghdad after US forces discovered suspicious wires outside the residence.
The wire led to a sign, which had another wire reportedly leading to a bomb.
Nearly two months on and Mr Alubaidi is still languishing in a Baghdad prison with terrorist suspects, despite claims by his family that the Iraqi authorities have caught the real culprits responsible for planting the explosive device.
Speaking from the family home in Churchtown, his brother Zaid (16) told of how the family believes the Department of Foreign Affairs is not doing enough to repatriate Abbas and how they fear he might still be imprisoned without charge next year if the Irish Government doesn’t take action.
Zaid described how his brother travelled to Baghdad in February to take a break from his studies and to learn Arabic, which he intended to take in his Leaving Certificate next year.
Zaid said the last time the family had spoken to Abbas was two weeks ago when he told them the authorities in Baghdad had arrested those responsible for planting the bomb.