According to sources, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was removed from an Air France flight moments before takeoff after a hotel maid alleged he forced her to perform oral sex.
The case is being investigated by the Special Victims Unit over at the New York Police Department.
The maid says she entered the room while Mr. Strauss-Kahn was naked. He allegedly grabbed her and threw her onto the bed and forced her to perform oral sex, but she broke free.
He is the leading rival to President Nicholas Sarkozy in the 2012 election and was widely expected to beat him.
In 2008, he publicly admitted to “an error of judgment” for having an affair with an IMF subordinate.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn is married to New York-born Anne Sinclair, a popular French TV journalist.
The I.M.F. was formed after World War II to provide low-cost loans to nations in financial need.
UPDATE: New York prosecutors charge Mr. Strauss-Kahn with a criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. He will plead not guilty, according to his attorney.



