THE whereabouts of an Algerian man whose deportation was stayed by the High Court yesterday could not be confirmed last night.
Mr Madani Haouanoh, who is married to an Irish woman, was taken from Dublin to London's Heathrow Airport by two Irish immigration officials yesterday morning, an hour before he was granted a temporary High Court order staying his deportation.
Last night relatives had not heard from Mr Haouanoh since he telephoned from Heathrow at lunchtime yesterday.
His solicitor, Mr Dermot Coyne, said yesterday that Mr Haouanoh had telephoned his brother at 1 p.m. from Heathrow. His brother, who lives in Dublin, told him of the court order and Mr Haouanoh then passed the telephone to one of the Department of Justice officials at the airport, who was also told of the order, the lawyer said.
"His brother told the immigration officer that Mr Haouanoh should be brought back to Ireland," Mr Coyne said. "He told him he could phone me to verify this."
Yesterday evening a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said that as Mr Haouanoh had left the State he was outside the Department's jurisdiction.
Mr Coyne said attempts to contact Mr Haouanoh at the airport during the afternoon were unsuccessful. The family did not know if Mr Haouanoh had been put on the flight to Algeria which left Heathrow at 2.30 p.m.
A friend of Mr Haouanoh said last night that his wife, Ms Alice Sheppard, was "in bits" worrying about his whereabouts.
He said if Mr Haouanoh was handed over to the Algerian authorities he would be "in big trouble because Algeria is in the middle of a civil war and this guy [Mr Haouanoh] was supposed to do his military service years age and for them he's a good catch".
Mr Haouanoh was detained at Dublin Airport on Saturday evening after returning from France where he was visiting relatives.
On Sunday, Mr Haouanoh's brother, who owns a restaurant in Dublin, had to pay £436 for Mr Haouanoh's one-way flight to Algiers and £271 each for two immigration officers to accompany him to London.
A friend of Mr Haouanoh said he was concerned that there had been no contact from him during the afternoon.
He said Mr Haouanoh had kept in regular contact since he was detained at Dublin Airport on Saturday, and he would have been expected to telephone if he had returned to Ireland.
Mr Haouanoh married Ms Sheppard in 1993, two years after coming to Dublin.
Yesterday the High Court was told that Mr Haouanoh of Rowan Hall, Milltown Dublin, has lived in the State since January 1991.
The case is due to come before the High Court again next Monday.