nds76
01-01-2006, 11:16pm
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Farris Hassan, the Florida teen who made a December trip to Baghdad without telling his family, returned home Sunday night after three weeks in the Middle East.
Farris landed at Miami International Airport shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday and was quickly taken to a car and driven off. He made no comment to reporters after his arrival.
Farris, a 16-year-old high-school student, had tentatively planned to visit Iraq this summer with his Iraqi parents. But he decided he could not wait and used his savings to buy an airline ticket -- without telling his parents he was going until he landed in Kuwait on December 11.
Farris' mother, Shatha Atiya, said she then received an e-mail from her son saying, "I'll be in Iraq for awhile" but he did not say how he planned to cross into the country.
His brother, Hayder Hassan, and an uncle said Farris was expected to arrive Sunday night at Miami International Airport. (Route)
Farris, who speaks no Arabic, eventually made his way to Baghdad, where he walked into the Associated Press bureau there last week and volunteered to work as a reporter. AP staffers contacted the U.S. Embassy, which sent American soldiers to pick him up.
AP writer Patrick Quinn said the teen was "blissfully ignorant of his surroundings and where he was."
"Farris walked into the most dangerous city on this planet, especially if you are an unaccompanied American, let alone a teenager who doesn't speak any Arabic," Quinn told CNN.
His sister, Shanaz Hassan, said the family was informed Friday night by the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait that the teen had been taken to that country before his return home.
In an essay he penned before his journey, Farris expressed his desire to help the people of Iraq and said he felt guilty for living in a large house in South Florida, driving a nice car and hanging out with friends without the fear of suicide bombers.
Atiya told CNN that her son had asked her for permission to travel to Iraq immediately "to see it firsthand how are things transpiring in Iraq."
"He wanted to see how the people [feel] about democracy and the war in Iraq," she said Friday. "When he heard my negative response, he decided to take things in his own hands, I guess."
Atiya said that when her son returns, "He's going to be without privileges, as you can imagine." (CNN Access)
The U.S. government advises citizens not to visit Iraq.
"The Department of State continues to strongly warn U.S. citizens against travel to Iraq, which remains very dangerous," the department's Web site says, citing the risk of kidnapping and murder.
"Attacks against military and civilian targets throughout Iraq continue," including in Baghdad's "Green Zone," the travel warning says.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/01/teen.iraq/index.html
Farris landed at Miami International Airport shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday and was quickly taken to a car and driven off. He made no comment to reporters after his arrival.
Farris, a 16-year-old high-school student, had tentatively planned to visit Iraq this summer with his Iraqi parents. But he decided he could not wait and used his savings to buy an airline ticket -- without telling his parents he was going until he landed in Kuwait on December 11.
Farris' mother, Shatha Atiya, said she then received an e-mail from her son saying, "I'll be in Iraq for awhile" but he did not say how he planned to cross into the country.
His brother, Hayder Hassan, and an uncle said Farris was expected to arrive Sunday night at Miami International Airport. (Route)
Farris, who speaks no Arabic, eventually made his way to Baghdad, where he walked into the Associated Press bureau there last week and volunteered to work as a reporter. AP staffers contacted the U.S. Embassy, which sent American soldiers to pick him up.
AP writer Patrick Quinn said the teen was "blissfully ignorant of his surroundings and where he was."
"Farris walked into the most dangerous city on this planet, especially if you are an unaccompanied American, let alone a teenager who doesn't speak any Arabic," Quinn told CNN.
His sister, Shanaz Hassan, said the family was informed Friday night by the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait that the teen had been taken to that country before his return home.
In an essay he penned before his journey, Farris expressed his desire to help the people of Iraq and said he felt guilty for living in a large house in South Florida, driving a nice car and hanging out with friends without the fear of suicide bombers.
Atiya told CNN that her son had asked her for permission to travel to Iraq immediately "to see it firsthand how are things transpiring in Iraq."
"He wanted to see how the people [feel] about democracy and the war in Iraq," she said Friday. "When he heard my negative response, he decided to take things in his own hands, I guess."
Atiya said that when her son returns, "He's going to be without privileges, as you can imagine." (CNN Access)
The U.S. government advises citizens not to visit Iraq.
"The Department of State continues to strongly warn U.S. citizens against travel to Iraq, which remains very dangerous," the department's Web site says, citing the risk of kidnapping and murder.
"Attacks against military and civilian targets throughout Iraq continue," including in Baghdad's "Green Zone," the travel warning says.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/01/teen.iraq/index.html