Abu Dhabi: Two Emirati cousins, who reportedly went missing since Wednesday (14/10/2015) in Germany, have been sent back safely to their families in Munich.
Tawairesh Eissa Al Khailee and Ahmad Suhail Al Khailee were found on Friday at 4am at a shelter for missing children in Nuremberg, which is approximately 150 kilometres away from Munich.
Talking to Gulf News, Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Germany, said: “The two cousins were with their families at one of Munich’s shopping centres on Wednesday. One of the two cousins, Tawairesh, who is 20-years old, suffers from Down Syndrome, a disorder that propels him to be in an unstable state of mind and makes him unaware of his actions.”
“Tawairesh took his cousin, Ahmad, who is 10 years younger to him, and took a train to the city of Nuremberg, where they ended up being handed over to a shelter there for missing children,” he explained.
As soon as the embassy was informed of the incident, a team was set up immediately to connect with security sources and responsible bodies in Germany to look into the matter, the ambassador said.
The Munich Police together with the Federal Police in Germany joined forces to find the missing Emiratis. Advertisements and pictures of the Emirati cousins were shown on prominent TV channels in Germany and residents were asked to report any information they had to the officials, the ambassador said.
Al Junaibi urged parents to look after their children, particularly in open public areas. He, however, praised Tawairesh’s older brother, Saeed Al Khailee, for his swift actions and cooperation with the mission’s teams.
Expressing his heartfelt appreciation to those who contributed to the case, Saeed Al Khailee told Gulf News: “As soon as we reported the incident and sought help from the authorities here, the Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Munich made it their utmost priority to find the missing cousins. A special team has also been designed to keep a vigilant eye on the matter as well.”
He also added that his family will be staying in Germany for a while until his brother Tawairesh has received enough treatment for his Down Syndrome.
Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News.
