Maybe that's what I'm thinking of and I just didn't realize that it was 'optional' so to speak. Those passport looking pics just make me feel so hinky! Another question and I'm sure it was covered early on and I missed it. The 'passport looking photos' appear to have been taken in the US..wouldn't AB and Zahra have had to have passports to get here to begin with? Of course I assume so..so that REALLY makes me question the purpose of the photos I mentioned above...does that make any sense?
They can't take your passport without charging you with something. They can force the surrender of your passport as a condition of bail. They can ask you for your passport as a sign of good faith. They can make that question sound like it is not really an option. "We want to see you at the station at 3 to talk to a detective, bring your passport with you."
And like I said you have warrants out for your arrest then they can arrest you and ask the judge to take your passport.
If the warrants didn't exist they could have grabbed him on something at the airport to detain him, child neglect, accessory to a murder, etc.... it would make them play their hand on whether they have probable cause or not, but it is better to play than hand than try to extradite someone back in most cases.
The passport pics were taken here, you can see the US style plugs as one of our posters noted. They moved constantly, maybe they lost their passports. I don't know what they were for, but they certainly look like ID photos of some sort. New passports, replacement passports, fake ID, who knows....
eta- my post refers to surrendering your travel papers, not the ones taken as evidence at a crime scene, those passports LE was entitled to take as part of the processing of the scene if they chose to. The owners of the passports would have to get them back from LE, or file for a replacement if LE wanted to keep the physical evidence.