Suspect in New York Mother's death leaves Ireland after passport returned

Irish investigators say Ahmad Alsaqer, 28, fled Ireland for Turkey on a flight from Dublin after his passport was returned by the International Protection Office. Alsaqer had surrendered the document while seeking asylum, but it was handed back after he was granted subsidiary protection, a status for individuals who do not qualify as refugees but may face risk if deported.

Carney, 43, a former Westchester County resident who moved to Ireland in 2021, was found dead in her Killarney rental home on Tuesday. Her 13-year-old daughter discovered her body beneath a duvet after hearing a loud argument the previous night. Police determined the cause of death to be suffocation.

Authorities note that Alsaqer regularly stayed at Carney’s residence, leaving his DNA at the scene, which could complicate efforts to charge him. > "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," a source told the Irish Times.

Police say Alsaqer left the home on an express bus to Dublin airport around 3 a.m., before the body was discovered, and boarded a flight to Turkey at approximately 10:50 a.m., giving him an estimated 12-hour head start. Investigators are examining contacts of Alsaqer across the Middle East, including Turkey, Syria and Jordan, for possible assistance in his escape.

Carney had met Alsaqer at a pro-Palestinian rally a year and a half before the incident, and the pair had posted photos together on social media.