COPS have found “human remains” in the hunt for the body of a mum-of-three killed more than a decade ago.
Rania Alayed, 25, was murdered by Ahmed Al-Khatib in June 2013 after she was lured to his brother’s flat in Salford, Greater Manchester.
Al-Khatib was 34 when he was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years in June 2014 after being convicted of murder.
Rania’s remains were thought to be buried in a copse near the A19 at Thirsk, North Yorkshire, but have never been found.
Police were carrying out searches near the A19 after “receiving new information” in a new bid to find her final resting place.
Now the force has said they have discovered human remains, which they believe are Rania’s.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “While no official identification has taken place, we strongly suspect the remains are that of Rania.
“Her family have been informed of the latest development and are being supported by specially trained officers.
“They remain at the forefront of our minds.”
Rania’s son, Yazan, speaking on behalf of their family, said: “The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family.
“At last being able to provide a final resting place is all we have wanted for the last 11 years.
“To have the ability to lay down a few flowers for my mother is more than I can ask for from this world.”
A scene will remain in place for the coming days as further work is carried out by specialist officers, cops said.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team, said: “More than a decade after her murder, we now strongly believe we have located Rania’s body and are finally able to provide closure to her family, who we know have endured so much pain and grief over the years.
“Rania’s family have always been kept informed following our searches over the last few years, and we are providing them updates as we get them following this most recent development.
“Her murder was utterly horrific and not knowing where her body is has inflicted further pain to all those who knew her.
[boxout headline=”AN HONOUR KILLING THAT SHOCKED THE NATION” featured-image=”31701296″]By Paul Sims
Tragic Rania Alayed, 25, died at the hands of her evil husband Ahmed Al-Khatib, 35, for becoming “too Westernised”.
He snapped after she sought help from lawyers in a desperate bid to escape her unhappy marriage.
She fled the family home and enrolled at a college making new friends and started a relationship with a man she met on the internet.
But she vanished in June 2013 and her body has never been found.
Al-Khatib, who was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 20 years behind bars, has never revealed where he buried her.
But in a dramatic development officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have begun to dig at the roadside on the A19 in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
A digger was seen lifting swathes of turf as a team of officers – including a cadaver dog – began the painstaking search on an embankment as cars and lorries hurtled past.
GMP said it was acting on “new information” and concentrating its efforts on the outskirts of the picturesque market town.
A spokeswoman said: “We are carrying out a detailed search in relation to recovering the body of Rania Alayed.
“Following new information for a non-recent investigation, GMP’s Major Incident Team have been authorised to begin looking at land on the side of the A19 near Thirsk.
“Officers will be on location to carry out a thorough search of the area identified and will keep disruption to the local community to a minimum, with no wider risk or threat to the public.
“GMP remain committed to finding Rania and will act on all available lines of enquiry when it is possible to do so to help bring some form of closure to her loved ones ten years on.”
Al Khatib, of Manchester, was handed a minimum term of 20 years for Rania’s murder.
His brothers Muhaned and Hussain were also jailed for helping to dispose of her body.
They claimed to have dumped her somewhere on the A19 – but refused to say exactly where.
Instead, all they offered was a 19-mile stretch of the dual carriageway.
Sentencing Al Khatib, Mr Justice Leggatt said: “The contempt you showed for Rania in death matched the contempt of how you treated her in life.”
The jury at Manchester Crown Court was told Rania was invited for a meeting at the apartment of Al-Khatib’s brother Muhaned, 38, where she was killed and her body stuffed into a suitcase.
Al-Khatib tried to conceal the murder by dressing in her jeans, top and shawl and walking past CCTV cameras to give the impression she was still alive.
He and Muhaned then transferred her body to the back of a motorhome and, with another brother Hussain, 34, they drove 87 miles to Thirsk, North Yorkshire, where the body was believed to have been buried next to a layby.
Rania’s friends raised the alarm when she failed to return phone calls and text messages but Al-Khatib tried to make it look as if she had fled abroad.
Police arrested Al-Khatib in July 2013 and he confessed, saying he had pushed her during a row in the belief she was possessed by djinn – an evil spirit in Islamic folklore.
Muhaned pleaded guilty of perverting the course of justice and was jailed for three years, while Hussain was found guilty of the same charge and sentenced to four years.
After his conviction Detective Chief Inspector William Reade said Rania was “beginning to put an abusive and violent relationship behind her and had genuine cause to be optimistic for the future”.
“But her husband snatched it all away in the cruellest and most despicable way possible.”
He described Rania’s murder as “both sickening and chilling in the extreme”.
He added: “Make no mistake, this was an honour killing – Al-Khatib’s murderous actions were motivated by his outrage and jealousy that Rania would attempt to take control of her own life and live a more westernised life.”
DCI Reade added that the force would “employ the most hi-tech methods” to continue the search for her body “she can be given the dignified burial she deserves”.
“I hope that we are now able to finally reunite her with her family, where she belongs, so that they can give her a proper resting place.”
The authorities, previously helped by military officials, have concentrated their efforts in several laybys next to the A168/A19 near Thirsk over the years.
Cops believed in 2013 a white camper van had been used to get rid of Rania’s body.
A vehicle matching this description was parked in a layby near the A19 in the early hours of June 8, 2013.
In the months that followed officers were seen searching a layby near the B1448 turn-off at Thirsk.
The force stepped up their efforts again in October last year and were spotted using a digger and a cadaver dog in the A19 area.
Al-Khatib was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years in prison in June 2014.
His brother Muhanned Al-Khatib, of Salford, was found not guilty of murder.
But he admitted perverting the course of justice by hiding Rania’s body and was jailed for three years.
Manchester Crown Court heard at the trial that Al-Khatib was an abusive husband and murdered Rania for leaving him.
The prosecution told the jury he killed her for becoming “too Westernised”.
The 25-year-old mother had moved from Norton to Manchester in January 2013 and previously lived in Middlesbrough.
[boxout headline=”What is an honour killing and how common are they in the UK?”]By Emma Lake
Thousands of people around the world – mostly women – are murdered in honour killings each year.
The killings are committed within families or community groups as a means to control behaviour, and can include abductions and beatings.
What is an honour killing?
According to the Honour Based Violence Awareness (HBVAN), honour killings are committed within families or social groups with the purpose of controlling behaviour.
Such murders are carried in the name of protecting cultural beliefs or honour, and those targeted are believed to have shamed their family or community.
Reasons given for this can include refusing an arranged marriage, entering a relationship with someone disapproved of, renouncing faith and behaving or dressing in a way thought to be inappropriate.
Both men and women can be victims of honour killings, although women are more commonly targeted.
The HBVAN stresses that there is little scriptural support for honour killings in any major religion, and it has been roundly condemned by several high status religious leaders.
How common are honour killings in the UK?
Data from the HBVAN estimates there are 12 honour killings in the UK each year.
There are around 5,000 so-called honour killings around the world each year.
The crimes are usually aimed at women, and can include abductions and beatings.
