Lang
7/19/23
The father of a former University of Iowa student accused of attempted murder is back in custody in Johnson County after allegedly helping his son escape the country.
49-year-old Alfred Younes of Sutherland, Iowa was booked into the Johnson County Jail just after 5:15 Tuesday night and charged with Escape From Custody. Younes was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska in May.
Younes’ son, 19-year-old Ali Younes, reportedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Jordan ahead of his trial. The younger Younes is accused of attacking a woman and strangling her into unconsciousness on the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge in April of last year. While the woman was unconscious, Younes allegedly stole her earrings, which were valued at $20,000.
Younes was charged with Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Robbery and 1st Degree Theft. However, after a contested bond hearing, the court released him on several conditions, including a GPS monitor, and requirements that he surrender his passport and stay with his family on house arrest in O’Brien County, pending trial. Younes used Jordanian travel documents to board a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight, departing from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Younes’ parents were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting his escape while they were also attempting to flee the country. Younes’ mother, 45-year-old Lima Younes, was taken into custody last May.
The Younes’s each face a maximum of five years in prison, if convicted.