A Toronto woman who was stranded in Kenya because local officials said she didn't look like her passport photo has arrived back in Canada, ending her three-month ordeal.
Suaad Hagi Mohamud flew into Toronto's Pearson airport Saturday afternoon, where she was greeted by a cheering group of about 20 supporters and family members.
The group chanted "welcome" and sang songs of joy as Mohamud made her way through the arrivals area of the airport. The 31-year-old woman then rushed to hug her only son, 12-year-old Mohamed.
"You can't imagine, I'm really happy to come back, I'm really, really happy to come home," Mohamud said. "I'm glad my whole nightmare is over."
She became stranded in Nairobi after visiting her mother, when officials said her lips didn't match the photo in her four-year-old passport.
The Canadian High Commission agreed with local Kenyan officials and her passport was voided. Authorities then detained the Somalia-born Mohamud, forcing her to spend eight days in jail.
Mohamud produced several other forms of identification to prove her identity, including her Ontario driver's licence, her health card, social insurance card and a Canadian citizenship certificate.
She even showed them a receipt to a Toronto drycleaner and her Shoppers Drug Mart "Optimum" card.
Finally, officials finally agreed to a DNA test, which confirmed her identity.
"We are all relieved," said Abdi Warsame, who was acting as a family spokesman. "But it was really an ordeal that we'd love to forget."
Warsame spoke as Mohamud hugged her son in a crowd of supporters and reporters.
"She feels more Canadian today than ever before ... We're Canadians of Somali descent -- that right was taken from her," he said.
Critics have charged that the Conservative government did not do enough to help a Canadian stranded in a foreign country.
"Holding a Canadian passport must mean the Canadian government will protect you -- no matter where, no matter when," Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Friday in a news release.
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said the government will review the actions of the Canada Border Services Agency and has asked for a "full accounting" of how it handled Mohamud's case.
While Mohamud's Kenyan lawyer said his client will sue Kenya, Canada and Dutch airline KLM for damages, her Canadian lawyer said it is too soon to tell if a lawsuit will be filed.
With files from The Canadian Press
