Sexual harasser previously held in Lebanon arrested in US after hotel room break in

Sexual harasser previously held in Lebanon arrested in US after hotel room break in
A Lebanese national who had previously been arrested but released in his home country was arrested in Florida after assaulting a woman in her hotel room.
2 min read
09 January, 2022
Staff at the Hotel Victor claimed they were fooled into giving Habib a copy of her room key [Miami Beach Police]

A man who was previously detained in Lebanon for alleged sexual assault has been arrested in Florida after breaking into a woman’s hotel room.

Lebanese national Marwan Habib, 32, was arrested in Miami Beach late on Thursday after gaining access to the hotel room of a woman he had met earlier that night at a club. According to her account, he jumped on her and sexually assaulted her before she managed to force him to get out of her room at Hotel Victor.

When the woman called the reception to ask how he managed to obtain a copy of her room key, they told her he had fooled them into thinking he was with her by using another woman to speak on the phone.

He appeared in court on Friday after being taken into custody. In a video gone viral on social media, Habib could be heard asking the judge if he could bail himself out and go home, to which the judge replied "no".

He faced the felony charge of "burglary with assault or battery," according to the court.

He is also being held for an "immigration review", and could be extradited to Lebanon where he could face further charges.

MENA
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Many are however sceptical that if he returns to his native country he will be punished.

The charged sexual abuser had previously been apprehended in Lebanon but released. While it is not confirmed why, many have accused politicians of intervening and pressuring authorities to let him go.

Habib made headlines in 2019 during nationwide protests in Lebanon, after being exposed on social media for harassing and assaulting dozens of women. He repeatedly denied the accusations.