French Jewish Mother Wins Custody Battle Against Saudi Prince
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French Jewish mother has won a custody battle in France against a Saudi prince, who has been ordered to return their 10-year old daughter he was alleged to have kidnapped after their cross-religious romance turned sour.

The Paris criminal court ordered Prince Sattam al-Saud from the kingdom’s founding royal family, to hand over custody of his daughter Aya to her French mother, Candice Cohen-Ahnine, and provide child support of €10,000 (£8,300) a month.

For the past three-and-a-half years, the prince has kept Aya in a Riyadh palace despite efforts by the French foreign ministry and President Nicolas Sarkozy's office to resolve the issue.

But the French court ruling appears to have had no effect on the prince. “What do I care of Sarkozy?” he is cited as telling [Le] Nouvel Observateur magazine. “If need be, I’ll go like [Osama] bin Laden and hide in the mountains with Aya.”

Miss Cohen-Ahnin, 34, and the prince met in London 14 years ago at Brown’s nightclub and their daughter was born in November 2001.

Their relationship continued until 2006 when he allegedly announced that he was obliged to marry a cousin, but that she could be a second wife. She refused and they separated.

Miss Cohen-Ahnine claimed that her daughter was taken from her during a visit to Saudi Arabia in 2008 and that she was held in the prince’s palace where she had only fleeting meetings with her daughter.

She said she managed to leave when a maid left her door open and she sought refuge in the French embassy.

Miss Cohen-Ahnin was eventually spirited out of the country after the prince allegedly produced a document purporting that she had been Muslim but had converted to Judaism — a crime punishable by death. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, January 31, 2012

LEX TIMES.fr: Une mère se bat pour récupérer sa petite princesse saoudienne : Le 12 janvier dernier, un juge aux affaires familiales a accordé à Candice Cohen-Ahnine l’exercice de l’autorité parentale sur sa fille Aya, retenue depuis 2008 à Riyad (Arabie Saoudite) au sein de la famille royale Al Saud. Une affaire complexe, l’enfant est née de sa relation avec le prince Sattam, membre de la famille royale Al Saud. Retour sur le cauchemar d’une mère auquel la Justice et les services diplomatiques français pourraient mettre fin. » | Par Emilie Gougache | LexTimes.fr | samedi 28 janvier 2012