Saudi officer held over alleged Vegas sex attack [1]

Agence France-Presse | 01/05/2013 5:00 PM

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LOS ANGELES - A Saudi airforce sergeant stationed in the United States was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in a Las Vegas hotel, police said Friday.

Mazen Alotaibi, 23, on holiday in Sin City from training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, was arrested on New Year's Eve after the alleged assault and faces a series of charges that include kidnapping.

At about 9:20 am (1720 GMT) on December 31, police "received a call of a possible sexual assault of a 13-year-old-juvenile" at a hotel in the Nevada gambling city, said the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

"The victim, who was a guest in the hotel, was reportedly assaulted by an adult male who was also a guest," said an LVMPD statement, adding that Alotaibi was arrested by sexual assault detectives "as a result of the investigation."

The boy was walking down a hallway when Alotaibi allegedly forced him into his room, according to police spokesman Dan McGrath cited by the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.

"This juvenile was not a family member and had no connection (with the suspect) before then," McGrath said. "It was a random contact."

Alotaibi was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of sexual assault on a victim under the age of 16, lewdness with a minor under 14, coercion using force and 1st degree kidnapping, the LVMPD said.

"This incident remains under investigation," it added.