A Detroit-area doctor accused of performing genital mutilation on girls in a Muslim sect will remain in jail while she awaits trial.
Federal Judge Bernard Friedman said Wednesday he's concerned that Dr. Jumana Nagarwala might flee the country if granted bond.
Nagarwala has been in custody since April in a first-of-its-kind case in the U.S.
The judge has granted bond to others, including the owner of a clinic where the alleged acts occurred.
Nagarwala is charged with cutting at least six girls at the clinic in suburban Detroit, including two girls from Minnesota.
The doctor denies any crimes and says she performed a religious custom that is sacred to her Muslim sect, the Dawoodi Bohra.
The courtroom was filled with roughly three dozen members of her mosque.