City of Kingston Police said a suspect in a 2024 sexual assault case was detained by Department of Homeland Security officials at John F. Kennedy Airport on June 2.
The suspect, Faisal Saif, 37, was turned over to Kingston police, who arrested him and returned him to Kingston for arraignment.
According to Kingston police, Saif allegedly sexually assaulted a 28-year-old victim at the Rondout Market on Feb. 15, 2024.
Kingston police said when Saif became aware of their investigation into that alleged sexual assault, he left the United States and reportedly traveled to Yemen.
As further evidence developed supporting the allegation, charges were filed in Kingston City Court and an arrest warrant was issued by the court.
Homeland Security officials detained Saif on that warrant June 2.
On June 3, Saif was arraigned in Kingston City Court, released on his own recognizance pending further court action and told to report to pretrial supervision.
Saif’s attorney, Raji Zeidan, said, “My client is by law considered innocent. I am confident that eventually his innocence will be proven in court.”
Police said their investigation remains open.
Anyone with information about this incident or possible similar incidents can contact the City of Kingston Detective Division at 845-331-8404 or Detective Michael Defrance at 845-943-5729 or by email at mdefrance@kingston-ny.gov.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mranda;;@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Man accused in Kingston sexual assault case detained at JFK Airport
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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