Tirana Prosecution Office concluded the investigations and brought Palestinian national Fadi Alwai to trial, charging him with the criminal offense of “murder due to family relations,” as stipulated in Article 79/c of the Criminal Code.
The investigations, registered as criminal proceeding no. 1534 on 28 February 2025, initiated after a young woman was found dead in a rented apartment, identified the victim as Palestinian citizen Rayyan Alwai.
Checks in the TIMS system confirmed that Rayyan Alwai had entered Albania accompanied by her father, F.A. Information provided by German authorities indicated that she had previously been threatened by members of her family, including her father, mother, and two brothers. The investigations further revealed that on 3 January 2024, R.A. had filed a report stating that she had been receiving death threats from her family because she wished to live a “free” and “Western” lifestyle.
On 26 February 2025, her mother, R.M., filed a complaint stating that a video existed showing her daughter nude while performing a religious prayer ritual. According to her statement, she had been blackmailed with this video since December 2024, thus transferring money multiple times—allegedly via “Ria Money Transfer”—to meet the demands of the blackmailers.
Tirana prosecution established that the victim was stabbed with a sharp, pointed object, specifically a knife, sustaining severe injuries to vital areas of her body. She suffered two stab wounds: one on the right side of the chest (measuring 3 x 0.3 cm, with a depth of up to 15 cm) and another below the right shoulder (measuring 3 x 0.3 cm, with a depth of up to 18 cm). The depth and trajectory of these wounds indicate that the blows were forceful and deliberately aimed at vital organs, ultimately causing her death.
Based on the evidence gathered, prosecutors concluded that there is sufficient proof that F.A. committed the offense of “murder due to family relations” under Article 79/c of the Criminal Code.
As part of the investigation, authorities coordinated with Lebanon through the Ministry of Justice and Interpol. Interpol Beirut reported that F.A. was arrested in Lebanon on 23 April 2025 for extradition. However, Lebanese authorities have declined Albania’s extradition request and instead asked that the case materials be transferred to Lebanon.