Egyptian businessman accused of assaulting New York maid granted bail

Mahmoud Adbel Salem Omar will appear in court again on Friday. The accusation of assault comes just weeks after the arrest of the former IMF head on similar charges.

MAHMOUD ADBEL SALEM Omar was arrested on Monday, after a maid at The Pierre hotel in New York said he sexually abused her.

Omar, a businessman and former chairmen of a major bank in Egypt, was arraigned in New York last night. His bail was set at $50,000 and he has been ordered to surrender all travel documents, reports CNN. He will appear in court again on Friday after he has obtained an attorney.

Omar, who is 74, is charged with sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment, forcible touching and harassment, after the maid said that he would not let her leave his room when she arrived to drop off some tissues. Police in New York said that they had found the complaint to be credible.

The accusation comes just weeks after Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the IMF, was arrested on similar allegations.

- Additional reporting by AP

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