Gardai fear he has already fled to the Middle East
Ahmad Al Saqar with partner, Jamey Carney(Image: Irish Mirror)
The man identified by gardaí as a ‘person of interest’ in the murder of Jamey Carney had previously been refused asylum in Ireland, it can now be revealed.
Jordanian national Ahmad Al-Saqar, who had been in a relationship with Ms Carney, is being treated as a ‘person of interest’ by gardaí following her discovery dead at her home in Killarney, Co Kerry on Tuesday.
Mr Al-Saqar (28) is understood to have departed Ireland on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, touching down there approximately one hour before an alert was issued regarding his whereabouts, we can reveal.
It is understood he retained his passport following the failure of his asylum application. There are now growing fears that Al-Saqar has already departed Turkey and returned to his native Jordan – a country with which Ireland has no extradition treaty.
Mr Al-Saqar, who arrived in Ireland in 2024, had his asylum application rejected and was in the midst of an appeal at the time of Ms Carney’s murder.
It is understood he initially travelled to the UK before relocating to the North and subsequently to Co Kerry, where he met Ms Carney and entered into a romantic relationship with her in recent months.
Al-Saqar is understood to have flown from Dublin Airport to Turkey in the early hours of Tuesday morning, having boarded a 3am bus from Killarney. He had already left the country before gardaí were alerted to the devastating discovery of Ms Carney (41) dead in her bed at around lunchtime that same day.
Gardaí believe she was brutally beaten and suffocated to death. Investigators are confident that Al-Saqar was in her company on Monday, and he was also spotted in the vicinity on Sunday.
Social media activity across multiple platforms indicates that Ms Carney and Mr Al-Saqar had been in a close relationship for several months.
In his own TikTok post, Al-Saqar appeared in a video alongside Ms Carney as she displayed a ring on his finger. In the post he stated: “My bride and my princess.”
He also regularly posted on her Facebook page, responding to photographs of them together, writing in recent days: “I love you so much,” and “my beautiful family.”
In her final Instagram post, Ms Carney and Al-Saqar posed against a New York backdrop as she wished her followers a “Happy 4th y’all.”
A week prior, she shared pictures of them together “soaking up the Irish sun,” while on 2nd July she uploaded a photograph of herself and Al-Saqar with her daughter and dog.
Further posts from both of them also confirm that they attended The Cure concert together at Dublin’s Marley Park on 26th June. On 28th April, Ms Carney shared a video to her Instagram of herself with Al-Saqar, hugging him as they smiled for the camera.
“He continues to show me what safe love is,” she wrote alongside the video.
Gardaí believe Mr Al-Saqar, who arrived in Ireland seeking asylum, had been living in the country for the past two years. They further believe he had more recently been residing with Ms Carney at her home in Killarney.
Gardaí have confirmed they are now collaborating with Interpol and Europol to liaise with Turkish authorities in establishing his precise location.
In their most recent appeal, gardaí revealed that a person of interest had departed Ireland before officers had the opportunity to question them.
“An Garda Síochána is satisfied that a person of interest in this investigation left the jurisdiction in the early hours of Tuesday, July 7, prior to the body of the deceased female being discovered and reported to An Garda Síochána,” a garda spokesperson said. “Gardaí are continuing to appeal for any person with any information on this incident to come forward and speak to the investigation team.”
The murder of Ms Carney has since garnered international headlines – with major American outlets including the New York Post and Newsweek running stories in recent days. Her devastated mother and sister have since made the journey to Ireland as they seek answers and make arrangements for Ms Carney’s funeral in the weeks ahead.
Grieving sister Devon Bennett today shared a series of photographs of the two of them together, as she spoke of her family’s unimaginable heartbreak. She also posted a link to a GoFundMe page, pleading for assistance to allow her and her mother to remain in Ireland during this devastating time.
“My name is Devon Bennett, from New York. My sister, Jamey Noel Carney, was murdered in Killarney, Kerry, Ireland on Tuesday, July 7 2026. She is survived by her brilliant 13 year old daughter Michaela,” she wrote.
“Jamey was an insanely caring human being, who dedicated so much of herself, her energy, and her time, to fighting for the rights of others. We grew up in New York, but she spent much of her best years with Michaela in the states in Bergen County, NJ. But their true home, where they both truly felt they belonged, was the beautiful town of Killarney.
“My mother and I travelled within a day of hearing the news of the untimely death of my sister, and are currently here, working with the Killarney Garda and social services to make sure my niece can stay in the land she loves, especially while grieving this tragic loss.”
Speaking about the need to raise funds, Devon said: “With last minute travel, accommodations, legal fees, as well as the looming funerary and memorial service costs hanging over our heads, we’re reaching out to the public for help.
“Either you may have known Jamey and our family, from any stage of her short but wild and beautiful life, or you came upon this GoFundMe after hearing about her terrible murder, we cannot stress enough that every single dollar (or Euro) will truly count.
“This GoFundMe is being run from the US by Brian, my partner, and Staci, my best friend, while I am overseas and unable to access my usual means of communication.” The link to the GoFundMe is here.
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