Jubilant Friends, Family Greet Fadi Fadel in Montreal

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Fadi Fadel is home with his family in suburban Montreal today.

Fadel was abducted by armed militiamen April 7 in Najaf, Iraq, where he coordinated children’s programs for the International Rescue Committee, and was held 10 days until he was set free.  He rested and underwent routine medical checkups in Amman, Jordan, before flying home yesterday. 

Jubilant friends and family members, along with a throng of journalists, greeted him at Montreal’s airport Tuesday night.

Smiling and animated, Fadel said, “I'm very happy to be back in Canada.”

“I plead with those who take hostages in Iraq to free them,” he said.  He expressed his thanks to the government of Canada for their efforts to secure his release.

The IRC programs that Fadel coordinated are credited with benefiting more than 10,000 vulnerable children and young people in and around Najaf and Karbala.