In a tragic accident, little Eitan loses his parents, little brother and other relatives. A grandfather apparently kidnaps him to Israel. Now he is supposed to go back to Italy.
Tel Aviv – The alleged kidnapping victim Eitan, the six-year-old survivor of the Lake Maggiore cable car accident, is due to be returned to Italy soon.
This ruled the Tel Aviv District Court, confirming a previous decision by the family court, a court spokeswoman said on Friday.
The boy, who was the only one who survived the accident in May and lost both parents, his little brother and two great-grandparents, was flown to Israel by his maternal grandfather in mid-September, in violation of a court order. Since the accident, the boy had previously lived with his aunt on his father’s side – Aya Biran-Nirko – in Pavia, Italy.
According to the judgment, Eitan must be returned to Italy within 15 days. However, the court allowed an objection to the decision within seven days. The family around the maternal grandfather, who had appealed against the previous court decision, must therefore also bear the equivalent of around 14,000 euros in costs from the other side.
According to media reports, the public prosecutor’s office in Pavia has issued two international arrest warrants against the grandfather and an alleged accomplice. In addition, the extradition of the two men had been requested, it said on Wednesday. According to the newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, the Italian judiciary sent the requests to Israel, where the grandfather lives, and to Cyprus, where his 50-year-old helper is said to live. The public prosecutor’s office in the northern Italian city accuses the two men of strategically planning to bring the boy back to Israel, according to the newspaper.
Eitan was born in Israel, according to media reports, but moved to Italy with his parents shortly after the birth. His aunt Biran-Nirko had said about the proceedings that Pavia in Lombardy was the home of the boy who should have started school in Italy in September.
According to the reports, his mother’s family living in Israel had argued that the parents had specifically planned to move back to Israel. The boy should grow up in Israel. dpa
