THE HAGUE (CNN) — Three children allegedly abducted from Southern California by their fathers, who are two brothers, were recovered in the Netherlands and the men arrested on Friday, the FBI said. Their mothers flew to the Netherlands to be reunited with their sons.
Brothers John and George Silah were sought for abducting their three sons in July 2008 from their homes in Los Angeles, according to the FBI. John Silah allegedly kidnapped his son, Greg, now 12, and George Silah is accused of kidnapping his sons Alexander, now 14, and Zaven, 11.
State arrest warrants were issued for the Silahs on July 31, 2008, and federal arrest warrants were issued the following month, authorities said.
“After following domestic and international leads in this investigation, agents with the FBI and detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department directed their focus overseas,” the FBI said in a statement Friday.
After the investigation led to Athens, Greece, Greek police conducted “an exhaustive investigation” that led them to the Netherlands, the FBI said. “The investigative efforts of law enforcement in Greece and the Netherlands resulted in the identification of the Silah brothers and the victim children.”
Authorities in Los Angeles obtained a provisional arrest warrant allowing authorities in the Netherlands to arrest the brothers and recover the children Tuesday, the FBI said.