Irish police are seeking a Jordanian man who is believed to have left the country after the killing of his American girlfriend, whom he reportedly met at a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, has been named by Gardaí as a “person of significant interest” in the murder investigation into the death of 43-year-old Jamey Carney in Killarney, County Kerry, on Monday.
Carney, originally from Westchester County, New York, was found dead the next day inside the rented property where she had been living with her 13-year-old daughter.
According to Irish media reports, her body was discovered beneath a duvet by a family member. Some outlets have reported that it was her daughter who made the devastating discovery.
Carney had suffered a severe beating and significant head injuries, but a postmortem examination conducted by Irish State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan determined that the cause of death was suffocation.
While early reports suggested the head injuries may have been fatal, investigators have since confirmed that suffocation is being treated as the official cause of death.
Gardaí are also examining reports from local residents who said they heard a loud argument at Carney’s upscale home on the night before her body was found.
Al-Saqar and Carney, who had a 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, are said to have met at a pro-Palestinian protest in Ireland about 18 months before she was killed.
Jamey Carney is pictured with her boyfriend Ahmad Al-Saqar. He is a ‘person of significant interest’ in the American mother’s murder at her home in Ireland last week
Carney, who is originally from Westchester County in New York, was found suffocated at her home in Killarney, County Kerry, on Tuesday
A postmortem by Irish State Pathologist found that Jamey Carney died from suffocation after suffering head injuries
Al-Saqar first arrived in Ireland in 2024 and applied for asylum shortly afterwards.
He is understood to have surrendered his passport when he applied for international protection, as required under the Irish asylum system.
However, Irish reports said the document was later returned after he was granted subsidiary protection – a legal status given to those who do not qualify as refugees but who may still face serious harm if sent back to their home country.
That decision meant Al-Saqar had possession of his own passport when he allegedly fled Ireland.
The Irish Times reported that ‘Gardai are concerned that the killing may be seized upon by the US far right and other figures intent on stirring up racial tensions in the Republic’ because of the races of the victim and person of interest.
The Irish Independent and Irish Examiner have since named and pictured Al-Saqar.
Al-Saqar is believed to have fled Killarney early Tuesday and taken a bus to Dublin Airport, around three-and-a-half hours away.
Irish reports said he may have boarded the bus at around 3am before taking a flight to Istanbul at approximately 10:50am.
He is then thought to have taken a flight to Turkey before Carney’s body had been discovered and police had been alerted to her killing at around 1pm.
Investigators believe that gave him a substantial head start, with some reports estimating he may have been out of Killarney for around 12 hours before the discovery was made.
Gardai are now said to be cooperating with international law enforcement to try and track down Al-Saqar, who has not been charged with any crime.
They have requested assistance from both Interpol and Europol and are also believed to be liaising with British police, immigration officials, airlines and transport companies.
Carney met her boyfriend at a pro-Palestinian protest around 18 months ago. She is pictured attending one such event
Carney-shared an AI-generated image of herself and Al-Saqar in New York’s Times Square to celebrate July 4, in a nod to her American roots
She also uploaded an AI-generated image of herself in front of the Great Temple of Petra in a nod to her boyfriend’s Jordanian roots
Investigators are trying to establish whether Al-Saqar remained in Turkey or caught a connecting flight from Istanbul to another location in the Middle East.
Police are also reportedly examining contacts in countries including Turkey, Syria and Jordan amid suspicions that others may be helping him avoid detection.
Even if he is found, securing his return to Ireland may prove difficult.
Under Irish law, extradition can generally only be sought when a person is wanted to serve a sentence or has been formally directed to face charges.
Irish law does not permit extradition solely for questioning or investigation, meaning Gardai may need a direction from the Director of Public Prosecutions before they can formally seek Al-Saqar’s return.
The Irish Examiner reported that Al-Saqar was active on social media after Carney’s killing.
He is said to have deleted a post from one account and made another less visible to strangers.
Investigators are now examining his mobile phone activity, social media accounts and telecommunications data in an attempt to determine his location at the time of the killing and trace his movements afterwards.
Initial reports suggested Carney had been beaten to death, but investigators later confirmed suffocation was her cause of death
Ahmad Al-Saqar is believed to have boarded an express bus from Killarney to Dublin Airport at around 3am before flying to Istanbul giving him a 12 hour head start over investigators
Gardai are also reviewing CCTV from Muckross Road and other parts of Killarney to piece together the sequence of events before Carney’s death and Al-Saqar’s alleged journey to Dublin.
A detailed forensic examination of Carney’s home is continuing, although investigators reportedly fear DNA evidence may be difficult to use because Al-Saqar regularly stayed at the property.
A Garda source told The Irish Times that his DNA would be expected to be found there because he had a legitimate reason to have been inside before the murder.
‘It would be different if he was an intruder or had never been there before – he might be struggling to explain his DNA in that scenario,’ the source said.
Carney shared multiple pictures of Al-Saqar on her social media accounts and spoke lovingly of their relationship.
The final photo she shared was a snap of herself, her daughter and Al-Saqar at an outdoor event with their pet dog.
Carney also shared an AI-generated image of herself with Al-Saqar standing in New York City’s Times Square to celebrate Independence Day on July 4.
And last month she uploaded another AI-generated picture of herself and Al-Saqar in front of the Great Temple in Petra, Jordan, in a nod to her boyfriend’s roots.
‘Soon, inshallah’ the image was captioned.
She shared text messages sent to her by Al-Saqar and called him the ‘most kind and emotionally intelligent, self-aware person I have ever known.’
Carney described herself online as a ‘New Yorker in Ireland’ and referred to herself and Al-Saqar as a ‘mixed couple.’
Carney described herself online as a ‘New Yorker in Ireland’ and referred to herself and Al-Saqar as a ‘mixed couple’
Karney shared a photo of her sizable home in Killarney, County Kerry, last year
Carney, a third-generation Irish-American, held both American and Irish citizenship and moved to Ireland with her daughter in May 2021.
She had previously vacationed in Killarney and is believed to have had two grandparents from County Kerry.
Her cousin Ryan Fox said she ‘loved’ living in the Emerald Isle and had moved there because she was ‘looking for a beautiful country with like-minded people to raise her daughter.’
He said Carney had a ‘heart of gold’ and worked as hard as she could to provide for her child.
Fox said Carney’s mother Julia Carney can barely function in the wake of her murder.
He told RTE’s Prime Time that Carney’s mother is ‘very upset’ and ‘could barely get her words across.’
Carney’s mother and sister have since travelled to Ireland, where they are working with investigators and dealing with the aftermath of her death.
Carney’s mother and sister travelled to Ireland following the killing to assist investigators and make arrangements after her death
Irish reports said Carney’s body was discovered underneath a duvet by a family member
He said Carney had uploaded a smiling photo two days before her death and that there was ‘no indication’ that she was undergoing personal difficulties or feared for her safety.
‘She was taken from the people that love her and we’re all going to do everything in our power to make sure that this doesn’t happen to more people because nobody, nobody deserves this,’ he said.
He also appealed for people not to use the murder to become ‘bigoted or racist or prejudiced in any way.’
Gardai have appealed for anyone who was in the Muckross Road area of Killarney between 11pm on Monday and 5am on Tuesday and who may have surveillance footage or dashcam footage to contact investigators.
