Four members of the Channel Nine TV crew, including reporter Brown, were among a group of people arrested after a botched attempt to take Ms Faulkner’s children off the streets of the capital, Beirut.
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An Australian “60 Minutes” television crew has been charged over the alleged kidnapping of two children in Beirut last week, the network said.
Abdullah is to decide whether they will be referred to court for trial. Berri (pictured above with a photograph of her granddaughter) said she and a domestic worker were walking with the children when two men jumped out of a vehicle and abducted the children, all while the scene was being filmed by a cameraman.
The network was working with a Lebanese legal team and the Australian embassy in Lebanon to “get the team home as soon as possible”, she said.
She added she was in “constant communication” on the case with her Lebanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Faulkner, 29, who has another young child in Australia, had claimed that her former husband Ali el-Amien moved their son Noah, four, and daughter Lahela, five to the Middle East without her permission in May previous year – a claim he disputes.
Mr Chapman said he believed the boat used in the attempted abduction in Lebanon was provided by Mr Michael and belonged to his father or uncle.
Judge Abdullah said yesterday following the hearing that there was “no way the charges will be dropped” against the group.
A judicial official, speaking on the condition of anonymity Monday because he was not authorized to speak publicly, quoted state prosecutor Claude Karam as saying: “Their files will be studied in preparation of charging them in the case regarding the kidnapping of two underage children, in contravention to Lebanese law”.
However it was the first time they had been formally questioned.
Australian TV producer Steven Rice smiled without speaking as he was taken away in handcuffs.
“The judge takes quite a prominent role in questioning the suspects and seeking to learn the truth”, he said. The official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, did not elaborate. We are co-operating fully with the Lebanese authorities and it is important to stress that we respect the laws of Lebanon and its judiciary.
Authorities found Ms Faulkner and the children shortly after, arresting the Brisbane mum and returning the children to their father.
However, Faulkner’s lawyer Ghassan Moughabghab said if Faulkner and Mr Elamine could reach an agreement, it would “help all the accused people”, including the Australian TV crew.
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The mother of the two children, Sally Faulkner, has also been detained in Beirut but it is now unclear if she has been charged.
