Rabe'e Ata Juma'a Alqaq, the Jordanian soccer player whose disappearance from Rice University prompted an urgent search in Houston, says he left on his own after being encouraged by a friend in Chicago - and only realized the widespread concern after he arrived and connected to the internet.

In an interview conducted in Arabic, Alqaq told spoke on social media Sawa.us that he and his team had arrived in the U.S. for the Genuine Cup, an international soccer tournament for athletes with intellectual disabilities hosted at Rice University.

He said the Jordanian delegation received their rooms, unpacked and tried to rest after traveling, but he couldn't sleep.