Dad accused in hit-run fled to Mexico, England before capture
An Iraqi immigrant accused of running over his daughter for being too “Westernized” fled across three countries before he was extradited to the United States and arrested Thursday, authorities said Friday.
Faleh Almaleki, 48, of Glendale, drove to Mexico the day of the attack and later boarded a plane for London, said David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona. Almaleki was detained by British authorities for entering the country illegally and escorted by U.S. officials on a flight to Atlanta.
U.S. marshals and Peoria detectives arrested Almaleki on Thursday afternoon after his plane landed in Atlanta, Gonzales said. The suspect had evaded investigators for more than a week.
Almaleki waived his extradition rights in front of a Georgia judge and should be transported back to Arizona within a few days, Gonzales said.
Police believe Almaleki ran over his daughter, Noor Almaleki, 20, and Amal Edan Khalaf, 43, in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20 because he felt his daughter had disrespected the family.
Khalaf is reportedly the mother of Noor’s boyfriend.
The two women were still in the hospital, with Noor Almaleki in “life-threatening” condition and Khalaf’s condition improving, when police updated their status earlier this week.
Peoria police said interviews with friends and family revealed that Faleh, a Glendale resident, was angry at his daughter for not following traditional Iraqi values.
Noor’s brother, Peter-Ali Almaleki, told a local news station that his sister went “out of her way to disrespect” her traditional Muslim father.
Noor had married a man in Iraq but returned to the United States and moved in with her boyfriend and Khalaf in Surprise. The father was furious about the arrangement, according to the brother.
Peter-Ali Almaleki said their father called home late last week to check on his daughter’s condition but his wife hung up on him.