A diplomat working at the UAE Embassy in Washington is at the center of a diplomatic incident. Salem M., aged 40, was arrested after he turned up in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, allegedly expecting to have a relationship with a 13-year-old girl.
The diplomat was quickly released after two hours in custody, claiming diplomatic immunity. Bedford County prosecutors are asking UAE authorities to waive that immunity. The US State Department must forward the request to the UAE Embassy for a decision.
One of Salem M.’s Fairfax County, Virginia, neighbors, however, said the diplomat is innocent. “I don’t think this is true,” Ayah Aljendi said. “He’s our neighbour. Our kids play with his kids. Everything is normal. He says, ‘Hi’.”
Salem M. visited Bedford County allegedly expecting to meet the teenager at about 4.30pm (local time) on Wednesday, only to find the police waiting for him. It was unclear whether Salem M. was aware of the girl’s age.
