Man who fled 1979 murder charge arrested at O'Hare
6/8/2013CHICAGO — A man who fled the U.S. in 1979 after being charged with killing a man in Chicago has been arrested at O’Hare International Airport.
The Cook County sheriff’s office says 65-year-old Ata Yousef El Ammouri was taken into custody Friday after arriving on a flight from Jordan, where he has been living.
He was traveling to the United States to attend a graduation.
El Ammouri is accused of shooting 31-year-old Joe Harris in July 1979 after Harris walked out of his store without paying for a can of beer.
El Ammouri was charged with murder but posted $100,000 bail and disappeared.
He was brought to bond court Saturday and ordered held.
Sheriff Tom Dart says “the simple passage of time does not eradicate our commitment to bringing fugitives to justice.”