Search underway for missing Jordanian athlete
A 25‑year‑old Jordanian soccer player with cerebral palsy vanished from the Rice University campus early Tuesday morning, prompting a coordinated search by the FBI and university police. Officials say the athlete, Rabe’e Ata Juma’a Alqaq, was last observed around midnight after stepping out for a walk and never returned to his dormitory, missing breakfast and failing to answer his phone.
Alqaq is in Texas as part of the Genuine Cup, an international tournament that brings athletes with intellectual disabilities together for competition. He is housed at Martel College, where the Jordanian team is staying, and organizers have been conducting routine rosters, daily schedule checks and room inspections to keep every participant accounted for.
According to Lt. Frank Fernandez of the Rice University Police, the player only speaks Arabic and was wearing a light blue T‑shirt and black pants when he was last seen. Because of his limited English, investigators are relying on phone‑tracking technology and the assistance of the public to locate him.
Kathleen Sledge, a tournament coordinator, emphasized that Alqaq is known for exploring new cities without incident, but this disappearance is unusual. “He has a routine of wandering to familiarize himself with his surroundings, but we have never had a case where he failed to check in,” she said.
Ignacio Torras, another staff member involved in the event, added that the organizers are working closely with local law enforcement and have deployed additional resources to trace the athlete’s movements. The FBI has confirmed it is assisting in the effort, leveraging its technical capabilities to ping the missing phone.
Community response and next steps
The incident has sparked a call for community vigilance, with officials urging anyone who may have seen Alqaq or noticed unusual activity near Martel College to come forward. While the search continues, the tournament’s organizers say they remain committed to the safety of all participants and will review their protocols in light of the incident.