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IMF head arrested on flight at JFK airport and charged with sexual assault and attempted rape at Manhattan hotel Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund and the French left’s great hope for president, has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a maid in a New York hotel. Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken from the first class cabin of a Paris-bound Air France flight on the tarmac at JFK airport by plain clothes officers before Manhattan police formally arrested him on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. New York police spokesman Paul Browne detailed the alleged brutal attack on a woman at the Sofitel New York on West 44th Street in the heart of the city’s theatre district, where Strauss-Kahn was staying in a $3,000 (£1,850) a night suite. The 32-year-old woman told police she entered Strauss-Kahn’s room at about 1pm. Browne said: “She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account. She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room.” By the time police arrived, Strauss-Kahn had left the hotel, leaving behind his mobile phone and other personal items. “It looked like he got out of there in a hurry,” Browne added. Strauss-Kahn, who does not have diplomatic immunity as head of the IMF, is expected to be brought before a state court on Sunday. His lawyer said he would plead not guilty. According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act includes forcibly compelling someone to engage in oral sex. The offence carries a potential sentence of 15-20 years – the same as attempted rape. Unlawful imprisonment carries a potential sentence of three to five years. The allegations threaten to severely damage the standing of the IMF, where Strauss-Kahn was leading the response to the global financial crisis. A meeting with Angela Merkel scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled. A 2008 IMF investigation cleared Strauss-Kahn of harassment and favouritism over an affair with a senior colleague but deemed it a “serious error of judgement”. The charges have stunned French politics, where ‘DSK’ was the Socialist favourite to beat Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election. Strauss-Kahn was expected to declare within weeks that he would run in the primary race to become the left’s official candidate. But political commentators today suggested his presidential dream was over. Jacques Attalli, the economist, a prominent Socialist and friend of Strauss-Kahn said: “The most likely outcome is that this case will stick and even if he pleads not guilty, which he may be, he won’t be able to be candidate for the Socialist primary for the presidency and he won’t be able to stay at the IMF.” Michel Taubmann, author of a new official and approved biography of Strauss-Kahn, said: “He is a well-known seducer but does not have the profile of a rapist.” Strauss-Kahn is suing a French newspaper that claimed staples of his lifestyle included luxury homes and sought-after works of art. France Soir also said he had several handmade suits made by Barack Obama’s tailor – a claim hotly denied. The tailor, a 75-year-old Frenchman from Marseille, sells suits for between £4,300 and £21,000. For months opinion polls have suggested that Strauss-Kahn is the only potential opposition candidate who might unseat Sarkozy in next year’s election, but following the France Soir reports François Hollande, the former Socialist party leader who is also seeking the party’s nomination as presidential candidate, leapt to within a few points of him. Hollande’s ex-partner, Ségolène Royal, who lost to Sarkozy in 2007, is another Socialist contender to be leader, along with two other hopefuls. Renaud Muselier, an MP for Sarkozy’s ruling centre-right party said: “It’s a disaster for our country and France’s image because he is the head of the IMF and it completely changes the cards for the presidential election.” The French Socialist party said it was “stupefied” and holding crisis talks. Jean Veil, one of Strauss-Kahn’s France-based lawyers, said: “We must wait until things settle and see if it’s true or a provocation. We must be especially careful not to get into a media circus and we must wait until things are clear.” However, supporters were quick to jump to Strauss-Kahn’s defence. Michèle Sabban, vice-president of the Île-de-France socialists, told journalists: “Dominique is staying true to himself. He admits his relationship with money and that’s good.” Another supporter, local councillor Hussein Mokhtari, added: “So he has to eat sandwiches and drive a 2CV when he is head of the IMF?” Even political enemies such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Left party and a rival presidential candidate, dismissed criticism of his wealth.”Being leftwing is a conviction, a commitment; never would a man of the left say to another ‘profit and shut up …’ I think someone who is rich can also be of the left depending on how his wealth was gained.” France IMF New York United States Angelique Chrisafis Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk