Crimson Reporters Claim Assault

Assistants to Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's physically assaulted two staff members of The Crimson seeking to take pictures for a report on their activities in Cambridge this weekend, according to reports by Crimson staff and one eyewitness.

In addition, one of the Crimson staffers said that a close aide to the prince had verbally threatened his life in an earlier incident two weeks ago. All three incidents were observed by either Harvard or Cambridge police officers who declined to respond to the students' requests for assistance, said the reporter, Joshua A. Gerstein '91-92.

Crimson President Jonathan S. Cohn '91 said yesterday that the officers' inaction on these occasions appeared to be a violation of police procedure and that the newspaper intends to file complaints with appropriate city and University officials.

An aide to the prince told Gerstein this weekend that the prince's security guards had acted because Gerstein and a fellow photographer were bothering the prince's party.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, a security agent for the prince kicked Crimson photographer William H. Bachman '92 in the midsection and threatened to injure another photographer if he continued to take pictures from the sidewalk in front of the hotel, according to Bachman and Gerstein.

Gerstein said that when he asked a Harvard police officer on the guard detail to take a report, the officer replied, "How do you know I'm a Harvard police officer?" and walked inside the hotel.

Gerstein said that the attack had taken place well within the officer's field of view. He and South Dartmouth resident Michael J. Sylvia, 37, said they had witnessed the attack.

"I saw a couple of guys taking pictures of a guy who didn't want his picture taken. He approached one of the guys taking pictures and kicked him," Sylvia said in an interview yesterday. "It was pretty hard. He was pretty angry."

"He just went off, he just lost it," Sylvia said.

Sylvia said he was about 30 feet away from Bachman at the time of the attack.

Earlier in the afternoon, at about 1:30 p.m., Cambridge police officers failed to respond after a member of the prince's staff followed Gerstein through a nearby park and pushed his camera into his face, Gerstein said.

Gerstein, who said he was taking pictures of members of the prince's family and approximately 15 security people accompanying them, said he asked the officers to take a report on the assault. The officers refused to do so and denied having witnessed the incident, he said.

When another police officer assigned to investigate the incident entered the hotel with the photographer, officers who had been present at the time of the attack declined to provide their names and then denied having been in the park, Gerstein said.

Gerstein said that during an earlier visit to the hotel, the prince's top aide, Dr. Mustafa Aziz, threatened his life for taking pictures of Aziz in front of the hotel. According to Gerstein, Aziz rushed toward him and shouted, "Take pictures of me, I shoot you."

Gerstein said that he felt threatened by Aziz, but that he did not believe his life was in immediate danger.

Harvard police Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, the officer in charge of protecting the prince, was within 10 feet of Aziz at the time of the threat, Gerstein said. Murphy took no action against the Saudi, and instead helped him into a limousine waiting at the curb, Gerstein said.

When Gerstein asked for an officer to take a report, Gerstein said, neither Murphy nor any other of the approximately 10 officers within earshot of the threat came forward.

According to Crimson reporter Adam K. Goodheart '92, Aziz made a similar threat against Gerstein in a telephone conversation the next day.

Gerstein and Bachman said they had reported the incidents on Saturday to police officials immediately after failing to receive assistance. Murphy said that he was investigating the incident involving Bachman, according to Gerstein.

Harvard and Cambridge police officers have also interefered directly with Crimson photographers outside the hotel, the Crimson staff members said. Gerstein said that several officers, including Murphy, blocked his camera lens as he was attempting to take pictures of those entering and exiting the hotel.

In one case, a plainclothes Harvard officer grabbed Gerstein's camera lens, the photographer said. Both Gerstein and Bachman said they were using telephoto zoom lenses which allowed them to take pictures without closely approaching the subject.

Several police officers told the Crimson staffers not to take their pictures, arguing that they had a legal right not to be photographed.

A Cambridge police officer, who asked not to be identified, said that Murphy has posted a written order at the hotel prohibiting all officers assigned to protecting the prince from speaking with the news media.

According to Murphy, the prince has requested that no photos be taken of any members of his party. On several occasions, members of the prince's security detail have said that taking news photographs, particularly of the prince's family, poses a "security risk," Gerstein said.

However, representatives of The Crimson and other publications were permitted to photograph Aziz, the prince and two of his children at a breakfast held in August.

When asked why the prince's security agent had kicked the Crimson photographer, Aziz defended the agent's behavior, saying the student had insulted the man.

"If anybody comes to bother my people or bother myself, I have the right to do the same thing," Gerstein quoted him as saying.

When told by Gerstein that federal and state laws protect the right of photographers to take pictures on public sidewalks and in public parks, Aziz suggested that The Crimson had abused its First Amendment rights, Gerstein said.

"I'm sorry the people can create the law for people like you to misuse it," Gerstein quoted him as saying.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. this morning, James A. Hauser, an attorney with the Miami-based firm of Hauser and McSurdy, contacted The Crimson. Hauser said he was representing the Saudi royal family, and had flown up from Florida that evening.

At about 4:30 a.m., The Crimson informed Hauser that it would publish an article on the incidents, and offered Hauser the opportunity to issue a statement on behalf of the royal family.

About 30 minutes later, Hauser called back and said he was unable to obtain an official statement at such a late hour.