LOS ANGELES: Three United States (US) women claim a Saudi prince assaulted them and held them captive during three days of sex-and drug-fuelled partying at a Beverly Hills mansion.

The unidentified women, who have filed a civil suit in Los Angeles (LA) against Majed Abdulaziz Al Saud, 29, say they were hired by the prince as housekeepers in late September.

The suit, filed last Thursday, alleges that the prince terrorised the women and made sexual advances.

At one point, he also ordered the staff, including security guards, to strip by the pool.

When one of the women pleaded with him to stop, he allegedly yelled: "You're not a woman! You're nobody! I'm a prince and I'll do what I want and nobody will do anything to me."

The women also claim they saw the prince engaging in sex acts with another man and sniffing a white powder they believed to be cocaine.

"Al Saud has violently threatened and sexually assaulted his employees and publicly shamed these innocent women in the public eye," the women's attorney Van Frish told AFP on Monday.

"This is yet another example of the use of gross wealth and power to exert emotional and physical abuse on those more vulnerable."

The prince's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Frish said his clients' ordeal ended when someone called the police after hearing a woman unrelated to the case screaming as she she tried to scale the wall of the property.

The prince was arrested for allegedly trying to force that woman to perform oral sex on him.

But citing lack of evidence, authorities in LA said last week they would not pursue felony charges against Al Saud in that case. He could still face misdemeanour charges.

Read: Saudi prince arrested on sex crime charge at Los Angeles mansion

Frish said that during his trip to the US in September, the prince had also abused several women during a stop in New York.

Many members of Gulf monarchies own mansions in posh Beverly Hills and it is not the first time one of them has had a run-in with the law.

A member of Qatar's royal family — Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani — was questioned by Beverly Hills police in September after a video surfaced showing a yellow Ferrari he owned speeding through stop signs and past pedestrians.

Al Thani, a well-known figure in international racing circles, denied he was driving the car and claimed diplomatic immunity before leaving the country.

Read: Indian police investigate accusation Saudi official raped Nepali maids

Opinion

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.