Iowa City man who fled to Jordan in 2023 is extradited from Chicago, charged

IOWA CITY — An Iowa City man who fled to Jordan to avoid prosecution of attempted murder and other charges in May 2023 — and then surrendered last week in Chicago — was formally charged with escape Tuesday in Johnson County District Court.

Ali Younes, 21, was extradited from Chicago over the weekend after a self-surrender process following his plane landing last Friday from Jordan at O’Hare International Airport. The University of Iowa Police Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan helped in the process, police said last week.

Younes voluntarily returned to the United States, officials said, after his parents spent months in prison for helping him flee the country.

Younes already was charged with attempted murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree theft charges in the robbing and choking of a woman on the UI campus until she lost consciousness and then stealing her earrings, valued at $20,000, in April 2022, according to court documents. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison.

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Sixth Judicial Associate District Judge Jason Burns, during an initial court appearance Tuesday, said Younes was charged with an additional count of escape from custody by a felon, a Class D felony.

Burns said Younes had an outstanding warrant for not showing up to his court date last year on the previous charges, and reset a pretrial hearing on those charges for Sept. 13. Burns also will continue the previous $500,000 bail that remained in place and ordered special conditions for Younes to surrender all his passports — both from the United States and from Jordan, which he used to flee.

Burns said Younes also was being charged with escape from custody by a felon because he is accused of avoiding prosecution by fleeing the country. This charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Burns ordered a $100,000 bail on this charge, as well as the other same special conditions as in the other case.

Younes used his Jordanian travel documents to flee the country May 6, 2023, after cutting off his ankle monitor, which was part of his pretrial release pending trial, according to court documents.

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He was living in Northwest Iowa’s Sutherland with his parents, Alfred Ali Mohammad Younes, 49, and Lima Khairi Mohammad Younes, 45, who helped him escaped and were convicted of aiding and abetting him.

UI police officials last week said the department had established and maintained an open line of communication with Younes following his arrival in Jordan, and successfully facilitated his return with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jordan.

“I would like to thank Det. Ian Mallory and our entire investigations team for their unwavering dedication to supporting victims of crime and refusal to give up on this case,” Chief Lucy Wiederholt said in a statement. “Their tireless work highlights their commitment to making our community a safer place.”

Younes cut off ankle monitor before fleeing

Ali Younes received a reduced bail ruling on the campus attempted murder, robbery and theft case from 6th Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns during a contested hearing in June 2022. His bail was reduced from $350,000 to $125,000, and the judge released him on several conditions — including that he wear a GPS monitor and be under home confinement with his family in Northwest Iowa until trial.

Younes appeared for a pretrial hearing May 5, 2023, but then he cut off his court-ordered GPS monitor the next day, according to investigators.

On May 6, 2023, the Iowa State Patrol’s tactical team obtained a search warrant for the family’s home in Sutherland, where UI police found Younes’ ankle monitor left in the kitchen and SIM cards missing from his phones, court documents show.

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Alfred Younes was arrested May 9, 2023, by the Omaha Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Omaha Airport Authority while he was attempting to board a flight there, according to court documents. He was headed to Amman, Jordan.

Lima Younes also was arrested May 9, 2023, by UI police on a warrant with the assistance of the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office.

According to evidence at Lima Younes’ trial, the couple misled police about the whereabouts of their son and sold their vehicle in another state and rented a van to conceal their travel to O’Hare so their son could get on a flight to Jordan.

Lima Younes was convicted by a jury and Alfred Younes pleaded guilty to the escape from custody and were each sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Both the Iowa Board of parole earlier this year gave each early parole — Alfred serving more than five months and Lima serving over seven months.

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