Abu Dhabi crown prince's aide ordered to remain in US custody over child pornography

A judge has ordered that an aide of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed remain jailed while he awaits trial on a charge of transporting child pornography.

US Magistrate Ivan Davis said at a detention hearing on Friday that 60-year-old Lebanese-American businessman George Nader is too dangerous to be released to the community. He cited previous a previous conviction in Virginia in 1991 on an identical charge and a conviction in the Czech Republic for sexual contact with underage boys.

His lawyers say he's in poor health and needs medical care outside the jail.

Nader, who once acted as an adviser to US President Donald Trump, was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.

Nader's name shows up more than 100 times in Mueller's recently released report. It details his efforts to serve as liaison between an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of President Donald Trump's transition team.

Police apprehended Nader in relation to a separate warrant and seized three of his mobile phones when he arrived at Dulles International Airport last year. While reviewing the contents of his devices, federal agents discovered child pornography.

A second warrant sought by investigators led to the discovery of a dozen explicit images and videos of minors.

On Friday, prosecutor Jay Prabhu told the judge presiding that message traffic from one of Nader's devices indicated that he had both sent and received some of the illicit images.

If found guilty, Nader faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment.