FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – According to family members, 21-year-old Obada Mzaik has been missing for three weeks in Syria.
Mzaik's uncle, Firas Nashef, is a Farmington Hills dentist.
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Nashef said Mzaik disappeared after boarding Royal Jordanian flight 435 in Detroit. The flight was bound for Damascus.
Mzaik, who attended classes in the fall at Oakland Community College, was reportedly never seen exiting the immigration at the airport in Syria by his receiving family.
The family has attempted to follow up with Syrian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Damascus but has been unsuccessful in securing any information regarding Mzaik's whereabouts. Mzaik traveled to Damascus to attend Al-Yarmouk University as a civil engineering student.
The family is asking U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford to press Syrian authorities to disclose the circumstances surrounding Mzaik's disappearance and also urges State Secretary Hillary Clinton to hold the Syrian government responsible for Mzaik's safety. Information about his location and his immediate release -- in line with international obligations and the Vienna Convention -- also has been requested.
