Ali Younes, a former University of Iowa student arrested in April 2022 for the alleged robbing and strangling of a woman, leaving her unconscious near Art Building West, will return to Iowa for trial after fleeing to Jordan.
Younes returned to the U.S. and arrived in Chicago on Tuesday after a self-surrender process facilitated by the UI Police Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan, a press release from the UI Police Department said.
Younes was also reportedly the subject of multiple complaints to the UI Department of Public Safety before his arrest, having been accused of stalking, sexual assault, and sexual harassment four different times at Slater Residence Hall.
After Younes’ initial arrest, Judge Christopher Bruns of the Sixth Judicial District of Iowa lowered Younes’ bail in June 2022 from $350,000 to $125,000. Younes was then ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release and placed on house arrest at his parent’s home in Sutherland, Iowa.
When he made bail, Younes surrendered his U.S. passport.
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and the upcoming criminal trial, we are unable to provide any additional information about the Younes case at this time,” Hayley Bruce, the public information officer with the University of Iowa Police Department, wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan. “We acknowledge the public’s curiosity about this case and appreciate your understanding.”
On May 6, 2023, Younes cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled to Jordan 10 days before he was scheduled to be tried for attempted murder, robbery in the 1st degree, and theft in the 1st degree.
Younes was able to board the Royal Jordanian Airlines flight at O’Hare Airport in Chicago by using his Jordanian passport.
His parents, Alfred Younes and Lima Younes, were convicted, charged, and sentenced to five years in prison in November 2023 for aiding in their son’s escape. They were both granted parole in June of this year.
Younes now faces an additional charge of escape by a felon, a Class D felony, and will be held while awaiting a hearing on his extradition to Iowa. At that point, bond conditions will be set and a new trial date will be determined, the press release said.