Aylan Kurdi’s Father was Driving the Boat, say Co-passengers

The father of drowned Syrian toddler, allegedly worked with smugglers and was driving the flimsy boat that capsized

Abdullah Kurdi, 40, father of Syrian boys Aylan, 3, and Galip, 5, who were washed ashore on a beach near Turkish town of Bodrum on Wednesday, cries as he waits for the delivery of their bodies outside a morgue in Mugla, Turkey. (Photo: AP)

The father of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi was working with smugglers and driving the flimsy boat that capsized trying to reach Greece, other passengers on board said, in an account that disputes the version he gave last week.

Ahmed Hadi Jawwad and his wife, Iraqis who lost their 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in the crossing, said that Abdullah Kurdi panicked and accelerated when a wave hit the boat, raising questions about his claim that somebody else was driving the boat.

A third passenger confirmed their version of events, which could not be independently verify.

The story that (Aylan‘s father) told is untrue. I don’t know what made him lie, maybe fear. He was the driver from the very beginning until the boat sank. – Ahmed Hadi Jawwad

He added that Kurdi swam to them and begged them to cover up his true role in the incident. His wife confirmed the details.

Jawwad said his point of contact with the smugglers was called Abu Hussein. “Abu Hussein told me that he (Kurdi) was the one who organised this trip,” he said.

However, Kurdi told Britain’s MailOnline that the accusations were untrue.

This is not true. If I was a people smuggler, why would I put my family in the same boat as the other people? I paid the same amount to the people smugglers. – Abdullah Kurdi, Aylan’s Father

In comments to Kurdish news outlet Rudaw this week, Kurdi blamed a Turkish smuggler but did not name him.

A photo of Aylan Kurdi’s body in the surf off a popular Turkish holiday resort prompted sympathy and outrage at the perceived inaction of developed nations in helping thousands of refugees using dangerous sea-routes to reach Europe, many of whom have fled Syria’s four-year civil war.