U.S. couple held in Egypt dreamed of children

By Cynthia Johnston

CAIRO (Reuters) - A U.S. couple held in Egypt on charges of buying two newborn babies -- a boy and a girl -- had long suffered from infertility and dreamed of children who would share their mother's Egyptian heritage, a family member said.

The couple, Louis Andros and Iris Botros, travelled to Egypt last year to adopt the infants and bring them to their home in North Carolina, where they own a Greek restaurant.

They did not realise there was no legal way for them to adopt in Egypt, the family member said.

"They were so happy. They were crazy happy," Shawn Botros, Iris's brother, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"Somebody called them from Egypt ... and said, 'We found kids for you to adopt'. She (Iris) went to Egypt. She didn't do any research.

"She is the type of person who does not think ahead of the situation ... They called me from Egypt, they were so happy. They got the kids. The kids were beautiful."

The couple named the children Alexander and Victoria, and Louis referred to the baby girl as his "little princess".

Then everything changed.