Courtesy: "Aljazeera English", 15 May 2011
The director general of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was pulled from an airplane moments before he was to fly to Paris and was being questioned by police in connection with a sexual assault of a maid at a hotel, police said.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was taken off the Air France flight at John F Kennedy International Airport by officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and was turned over to police on Saturday afternoon, Paul J Browne, New York Police Department [NYPD] spokesman, said.
He was being questioned by the NYPD special victims office. Strauss-Kahn had retained an attorney and was not making statements to the police, Browne said. No charges have yet been filed.
The 32-year-old woman told authorities that she entered Strauss-Kahn's room at the Sofitel near Manhattan's Times Square at about 1pm local time (1600 GMT) on Saturday and he emerged from the bedroom naked, threw her down and tried to sexually assault her, Browne said.
She told authorities that he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. She somehow broke free and escaped the room and told hotel staff what had happened, authorities said. They called police.
When New York City police detectives arrived moments later, Strauss-Kahn had already left the hotel, leaving behind his mobile phone and other personal items, Browne said. "It looked like he got out of there in a hurry," Browne said.
The NYPD discovered he was at the airport and contacted the Port Authority, who plucked Kahn from the Air France flight that had not yet departed. It wasn't immediately clear if the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn had been planning to leave on Saturday afternoon, police said.
The maid was taken by police to an area hospital. John Sheehan, a spokesman for the hotel, said its staff was cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.
William Murray, a spokesman for the IMF in Washington, said the IMF had no immediate comment on the reports of Strauss-Kahn's arrest.
Strauss-Kahn's offices in Paris couldn't be reached when the news broke overnight in France, nor could French Socialist Party officials.
Running for French president
Before taking the top post at the IMF, he was a member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.
He had also served as France's Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry from June 1997 to November 1999.
He had been viewed as a leading contender to run on the Socialist Party's ticket to challenge the re-election of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Strauss-Kahn, dubbed "DSK" in France, was seen as the strongest possible challenger to Sarkozy in next year's presidential elections. He has not declared his candidacy, staying vague in interviews while feeding speculation that he wants France's top job.
He took over as head of the IMF in November 2007. The 187-nation lending agency is headquartered in Washington and provides help in the form of emergency loans for countries facing severe financial problems.
Strauss-Kahn won praise for his leadership at the IMF during the financial crisis of 2008 and the severe global recession that followed.
More recently, he has directed the IMF's participation in bailout efforts to keep a European debt crisis which began in Greece from destabilising the global economy.
In October 2008, Strauss-Kahn apologised for "an error of judgment" in an affair with a subordinate, but denied he had abused his position.
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"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
| IMF chief held for alleged sexual attack |
| Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of a sexual attack on a maid at a Times Square hotel in New York. |
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was taken off the Air France flight at John F Kennedy International Airport by officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and was turned over to police on Saturday afternoon, Paul J Browne, New York Police Department [NYPD] spokesman, said.
He was being questioned by the NYPD special victims office. Strauss-Kahn had retained an attorney and was not making statements to the police, Browne said. No charges have yet been filed.
The 32-year-old woman told authorities that she entered Strauss-Kahn's room at the Sofitel near Manhattan's Times Square at about 1pm local time (1600 GMT) on Saturday and he emerged from the bedroom naked, threw her down and tried to sexually assault her, Browne said.
She told authorities that he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. She somehow broke free and escaped the room and told hotel staff what had happened, authorities said. They called police.
When New York City police detectives arrived moments later, Strauss-Kahn had already left the hotel, leaving behind his mobile phone and other personal items, Browne said. "It looked like he got out of there in a hurry," Browne said.
The NYPD discovered he was at the airport and contacted the Port Authority, who plucked Kahn from the Air France flight that had not yet departed. It wasn't immediately clear if the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn had been planning to leave on Saturday afternoon, police said.
The maid was taken by police to an area hospital. John Sheehan, a spokesman for the hotel, said its staff was cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.
William Murray, a spokesman for the IMF in Washington, said the IMF had no immediate comment on the reports of Strauss-Kahn's arrest.
Strauss-Kahn's offices in Paris couldn't be reached when the news broke overnight in France, nor could French Socialist Party officials.
Running for French president
Before taking the top post at the IMF, he was a member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.
He had also served as France's Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry from June 1997 to November 1999.
He had been viewed as a leading contender to run on the Socialist Party's ticket to challenge the re-election of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Strauss-Kahn, dubbed "DSK" in France, was seen as the strongest possible challenger to Sarkozy in next year's presidential elections. He has not declared his candidacy, staying vague in interviews while feeding speculation that he wants France's top job.
He took over as head of the IMF in November 2007. The 187-nation lending agency is headquartered in Washington and provides help in the form of emergency loans for countries facing severe financial problems.
Strauss-Kahn won praise for his leadership at the IMF during the financial crisis of 2008 and the severe global recession that followed.
More recently, he has directed the IMF's participation in bailout efforts to keep a European debt crisis which began in Greece from destabilising the global economy.
In October 2008, Strauss-Kahn apologised for "an error of judgment" in an affair with a subordinate, but denied he had abused his position.
....................
Note: The viewpoint expressed in this article is solely that of the writer / news outlet. "FATA Awareness Initiative" Team may not agree with the opinion presented.
....................
We Hope You find the info useful. Keep visiting this blog and remember to leave your feedback / comments / suggestions / requests / corrections.
With Regards,
"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
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