American Woman Who Falsely Accused UAE Man Of Being Terrorist May Face Charges

I-24 NEWS – Criminal charges could be brought against an Ohio woman over a false accusation that a United Arab Emirates (UAE) tourist vowed allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (I.S.I.S) militant group, the mayor of the city in which the incident unfolded said.

Ahmed al-Menhali, a businessman who was visiting the United States for medical treatment, was wearing a white robe and Arab headdress Wednesday when he was arrested at a hotel in Avon, Ohio after an employee suspected he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, apparently in a phone call.

According to Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen, two emergency calls were placed by relatives of a female clerk at the hotel who were unnerved by Menhali’s appearance.

They told police he was carrying several phones and pledging allegiance to I.S.I.S.

“We came to find out that those statements were never heard by anyone, the statements were never said,” Jensen said. A video of the incident, posted on Youtube, shows several policemen armed with rifles take down Ahmed al-Menhali, and then handcuff and search him.

“They were brutal with me. They pressed forcefully on my back. I had several injuries and bled from the forceful nature of their arrest,” Menhali said, quoted in The National daily.

After confirming that Menhali posed no danger, the policemen let go of the Emirati man, who moments later collapsed and needed treatment in hospital.

Menhali had been in the United States since April for treatment after a brain stroke suffered last year, said Emarat Al-Youm, another UAE daily.

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday summoned a senior US diplomat to protest the “abusive treatment” of Menhali.

The foreign ministry expressed “discontent” to US embassy deputy chief of mission Ethan Goldrich and demanded clarifications over the incident.

“The UAE cares for the safety of its citizens and, therefore, demands clarifications about this incident,” it said in a statement carried by WAM state news agency.

Goldrich “apologized” for the incident, pledging to get clarifications from authorities in the state of Ohio, WAM said.

The Emirati foreign ministry, in a statement posted on Twitter, urged citizens “not to wear the national dress during their travel, especially in public areas, to ensure their own safety”.

Anti-Muslim incidents have spiked in the United States on the back of deadly I.S.I.S attacks in the West that prompted presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.