The police here Tuesday told Al-Watan Arabic daily that medical tests have shown that neither the Asian housemaid nor the 46 men who had allegedly raped her have tested HIV-positive for AIDS. The announcement of the test results was made by Makkah Police spokesman Major Abdulmuhsin Al-Maiman. The statement negates an earlier Al-Watan report carried by Saudi Gazette and other local papers that said the tests had shown that the maid had contracted the AIDS virus four months prior to her alleged rape by the 46 men, over a period, some two months ago. The woman was found on a street in Osailah District west of central Makkah by a police patrol recently. She was handed over to Sharaye'a Police Station, the paper clarified. She claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the men in a private resort. The police located the place and arrested a man there after the woman said she recognized him. The arrest initially led to 12 other men who were interrogated, Al-Maiman said. The case is with the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution.
