get a photo for ten years from the government. the u.s. embassy, office of children's issues, state department, they all live down the street. just any photo. if these are my sons, this is the first time i've seen them in 11 years. >> reporter: as we hang up, michael shannon is still not 100% sure. later, nermeen khalifa sent an e-mail to cnn claiming the boys in the images are not her sons, but she refused to give us any pictures. in a phone call to a cnn producer she threatened to sue if these pictures we took were broadcast. when asked why she would consider a lawsuit if the photos were not of her sons, she didn't answer. through it all, michael shannon cannot pull himself away. >> that's definitely not an