A Saudi indicted by the US authorities for enslaving and sexually assaulting an Indonesian maid was under investigation on Friday for possible links to terrorism. Homaidan al Turki and his wife Sarah Khonaizan were accused of abusing their maid and keeping her hostage at their Aurora , Colorado home in June 2005.
On Monday, Khonaizan was refused a request to return to her home country after learning her motherâs condition was critical; she later died at the King Fahd National Guard hospital in Riyadh on Saturday. A graduate student at the University of Colorado , studying linguistics, al Turki has lived in the United States since 1995.
| Well, that's only ten years... |
Federal Court documents field by al Turkiâ lawyers detail the investigation against him. They claim the Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force has had al Turki under a âfull fledged investigationâ suspecting âhe is closely aligned to terrorists and may be providing material support to terrorism.â His lawyers said he âadamantly and vehemently denies any links to terrorism.â They add he looks forward to being vindicated of all charges against him in court.
The US Attorneyâs Office said the terrorism investigation was separate from the charges regarding his maid. Speaking to a local TV station, al Turki stressed he was innocent. âThereâs no doubt about it,â he said. Instead, he believed recent brushes with the law were motivated by religion and politics. âI am Saudi, I am a Muslim and I think thatâs an attraction to law enforcement by itselfâ al Turki added.
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