By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — An Egyptian businessman has been charged with sexual abuse after allegedly attacking a maid in a luxury Upper East Side hotel.
Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar — who's the the former chairman of Egypt's Bank of Alexandria — allegedly groped the cleaner in Room 1027 of Fifth Avenue's swanky hotel The Pierre.
The alleged attack comes just two weeks after Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, was charged with attacking a maid in Midtown's Sofitel hotel.
Omar, 74, called down to the front desk and asked for a box of tissues at 6 p.m. Sunday, sources told DNAinfo.
When the maid, 44, entered the room to deliver the tissues, Omar allegedly groped her, sources said.
"I'm not up here for that," she told him, sources told DNAinfo.
After she resisted him, Omar allegedly asked the maid for her phone number, sources said. She gave him a fake one.
She escaped the room and reported the alleged assault to her supervisors, sources said. But police did not get a call about the alleged incident until 9:40 the following morning, according to sources.
Police questioned the maid and arrested Omar at 1 p.m. Monday. He was taken to the office of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit in East Harlem where he was charged with with sexual abuse, forcible touching, unlwaful imprisonment and harrassment Monday night.
He was expected to be arraigned Tuesday.
A hotel worker said following Strauss-Kahn and Omar incidents, staff were concerned that the attacks were becoming more common.
"I hope it's not going to be a trend," the worker said Tuesday. He asked not to be named.
"It all happens at established hotels like these. Europeans and bankers, they think they're privileged. These things never happen with American men.
"I can't believe it happened just one week after the other guy busted."
