Paul Rusesabagina was called a hero after 'Hotel Rwanda,' now he's accused of terrorism

Paul Rusesabagina, the former hotelier who inspired the acclaimed 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda," is on trial in Rwanda for terrorism-related charges.

LONDON -- Paul Rusesabagina thought he was heading to Burundi when he boarded an airplane in the United Arab Emirates on the night of Aug. 27, 2020. But the 66-year-old former hotelier, who inspired the acclaimed 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda," landed behind bars in Rwanda's capital. Rusesabagina's whereabouts were unknown for several days until Rwandan authorities paraded him in handcuffs during a press conference in Kigali on Aug. 31. Rusesabagina's adopted daughters, Anaise and Carine Kanimba, were together in Washington, D.C., when they got a telephone call from their brother, telling them about their father's arrest. "It was 6 a.m. in the morning and he said, 'Dad is in Kigali,'" Anaise Kanimba, 29, recalled during an interview with ABC News in Washington. "We didn't believe what he said at first, but then we know he would never joke on something like that. And it was this nightmare that we never thought would ever be true." Rusesabagina, who is originally from Rwanda but is a Belgian citizen and permanent U.S. resident, has been detained in his home country ever since and is facing a slew of terrorism-related charges that include murder and financing terrorism. If convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison. He has maintained his innocence.