Hayan Hadi Yassin, 25, of Kitchener has been charged with sexual assault, kidnapping and uttering threats in connection with the abduction of a 23-year-old woman in October.

 

Police allege that shortly after midnight the female victim and a male companion accepted a ride from the suspect in the area of Albert Street and Father David Bauer Drive in Waterloo.

 

Waterloo Regional Police spokesperson Olaf Heinzel says "after a short argument...the driver stopped the vehicle and the male got out but the female wasn't able to and the driver sped away."

 

At that point the woman was driven to a remote area where she was physically and sexually assaulted.

 

Yassin has been in custody since Dec. 1, when he was arrested in connection with the assault of a 19-year-old woman on Hazel Street in Waterloo on Nov. 30.

 

In that case the woman was walking around midnight when she was approached from behind, threatened with a knife and forced into a backyard where she was sexually assaulted.

 

Yassin is charged with sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and uttering threats in the Nov. 30 incident.

 

Police continue to investigate a third assault near Hazel Street, where three men tried to grab a university student who was out jogging, but it is not believed to be connected to these two incidents.

 

Anyone with information on these cases is asked to contact the Waterloo Regional Police Major Case Unit at 519-650-8500 Ext. 8672 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 

Meanwhile women living in the area say it is a frightening situation right now to walk after dark, and many are trying to use the buddy system to ensure their safety.