The men behind the 60 Minutes scandal

THE 60 Minutes crew were not the only people involved in the foiled ‘kidnapping’ plot. These are the men who allegedly helped bring the plan together.

YOUTUBE VIDEO GRAB - Adam Whittington, Founder and CEO of CARI ( Child Abduction Recovery International). Picture: YouTube

ONE of the three CARI operatives in the kidnapping wasn’t a commando or military expert but a Cypriot-based tattoo artist who had been involved in snatching back his youngest daughter from his estranged Polish wife who had ignored repeated court orders.

However, News Corp has learned this operative, Craig Michael, has been so sick since the April 7 arrests, he has been twice removed from the cells underneath the Beirut detention centre where all of the foreign men are housed and taken to hospital for treatment.

Two others involved in the kidnap attempt are understood to be Lebanese nationals Mohammad Hamza and Khaled Barbour while another unidentified person is believed to be living in Sweden.

Lawyer for Mr Michael Joe Karam has brought blankets, big bags of fruit and vegetables, shampoo and disinfectant for both his clients Adam Whittington and Michaels, who are sharing the small space with the 60 Minutes male crew, producer Stephen Rice, soundman David Ballment and cameraman Ben Williamson and other foreigners.

Joe Karam, lawyer for detainee Adam Whittington, outside Baabda palace of justice in Beirut. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

Channel Nine’s legal team have provided similar comforts for the TV crew. It is understood the two Lebanese nationals are in another even more overcrowded part of the detention centre that is directly underneath the Baabda courthouse.

The concrete cells are particularly uncomfortable because of a huge influx of Syrian refugees in the past four years taking up police, court and judicial time, with crime and illegal entry to the country.

Inside the bitter 60 Minutes custody battle

Karam said the detention centre was crammed, having to cope with three to four times as many people than before the Syrian war brought about an influx of up to 1.8 million refugees, but without any more resources. It also means the prosecuting judges’ workload has quadrupled, leaving those waiting for investigations to be finished before an indictment — like the 60 Minutes crew and the CARI operatives — stuck in the underground cells without fresh air, breaks or sunshine.

The two women, Faulkner and 60 Minutes presenter Tara Brown were transferred to the nearby Baabda women’s prison because it was more comfortable for them.

Ali Elamine poses with his children Noah and Lahela, who are at the centre of the kidnapping scandal. Picture: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir.

Karam said Whittington was a father of two, lived in Sweden and was a very calm person. He said criticism of his work by rivals was unusual and unfair.

“It is such a sensitive situation and he has kids, this is a coward’s approach to attack him under the belt. He has been described and discredited as it he was a terrorist, but he is the opposite of a terrorist, he believed she (Faulkner) had all the rights of custody,’’ said Karam.

Legal experts believe even if an agreement between Faulkner and the father, Ali Al-Amin is tendered to the prosecuting chambers tomorrow, the charges against the others may not be automatically downgraded.

Karam said any deal making done by Faulkner to reduce her own sentence would be unfair to all the people who are currently detained.

‘”All the people tried to help her, and they are all in jail because of Sally. It would be unfair for Sally to agree an agreement for herself without thinking of the people she brought in. If both parties had been mature enough and approached it with mediation all of this would not happen. The focus should be on saving the children, they need both of their parents.’’