A Detroit emergency room doctor has been charged with performing female genital mutilation on two young girls from Minnesota.

Prosecutors say Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville, Michigan, was arrested Thursday, days after two seven-year-old girls identified her as the person who performed medical procedures on them at a Livonia clinic in February.

The FBI says the girls were accompanied to the clinic by their mothers.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville was arrested Thursday, days after two 7-year-old girls identified her as the person who performed female genital mutilation on them in February

Female genital mutilation of minors is illegal in the U.S. unless there's a legitimate health reason.

This is believed to be the first case brought under 18 U.S.C. 116, which criminalizes the practice.

Nagarwala is also charged with transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and making a false statement to a federal officer.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch said in a statement: 'Female genital mutilation constitutes a particularly brutal form of violence against women and girls. It is also a serious federal felony in the United States. The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law'.

'According to the complaint, despite her oath to care for her patients, Dr. Nagarwala is alleged to have performed horrifying acts of brutality on the most vulnerable victims,' acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department's Criminal Division added.

What is FGM? Female genital mutilation is the practice in which some or all of the female genitals are removed, typically with a blade or a razor and sometimes without anesthesia. This includes removing the clitoral and the fold of skin above it, and removing labia – the inner 'lips' of the vagina. In the most severe form, the inner and outer labia are removed and the opening of the vagina is closed with a small hole so the woman can pass urine and menstrual blood. Sometimes the vagina is then cut open for sex or childbirth. Women sometimes bleed to death or can be left with horrifying health effects, such as infections, chronic pain, cysts, infertility and problems giving birth. Female genital mutilation is prevalent, particularly, in the Middle East and African subcontinent and within pockets of the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths, according to the organization. Worldwide, an estimated 140 million women and girls have undergone the procedure, according to the World Health Organization. More than 3 million girls in Africa undergo the procedure each year. Advertisement

'The Department of Justice is committed to stopping female genital mutilation in this country, and will use the full power of the law to ensure that no girls suffer such physical and emotional abuse.'

According to Detroit News, Henry Ford Hospital has confirmed that Nagarwala was employed at the facility - even though her employer has not been identified on court records.

Henry Ford Hospital issued the following statement: 'The alleged criminal activity did not occur at any Henry Ford facility,' health system spokesman David Olejarz said Thursday. 'We would never support or condone anything related to this practice.'

Nagarwala's attorney, Shannon Smith, declined to comment after a brief court hearing. The doctor will remain in custody and return to court Monday.

In a court filing, the FBI says Nagarwala denied performing genital mutilation.

The FBI also says the doctor is a member of a 'cultural community' that believes in the practice.

Nagarwala is reportedly part of a Gujarati-speaking Muslim community in Michigan. She lives in Northville with her husband, Moiz Yusuf Nagarwala, 48, who works at Visteon Corporation, an 'automotive electronics supplier'.

Gujarati is spoken in India and other parts of the subcontinent and also within certain Indian communities in Africa.

A child forensic interviewer talked to one of the girls, who said she was brought to Detroit with a second girl for a 'special girls' trip,'according to the FBI.

The girls said they were told to keep the trip secret.

The FBI had launched an investigation after receiving a tip that Nagarwala performed female genital mutilation on two seven-year-old girls at a Livonia medical clinic, according to the criminal complaint.

But according to the complaint, Nagarwala does not work at the clinic and there are no billing records indicating that she has performed medical procedures there.

In February, FBI agents obtained a court order to review the doctor's phone. The records showed several calls between Nagarwala's phone and a Minnesota phone number, according to the FBI.

And hotel records showed that two families, each with a young girl, stayed at the hotel on February 3.

Seven days later, an FBI child forensic interviewer talked to one of the girls, who said she was brought to Detroit with a second girl for a 'special girls' trip.'

After arriving in Farmington Hills, the girls were taken to a doctor because 'their tummies hurt.'

'While at the doctor's office, a procedure 'to get the germs out,' was performed on the first girl, according to the criminal complaint.

A traditional razor blade used to perform female genital mutilation in parts of Africa

The girl was shown a photo of Nagarwala and said she was the doctor who performed the procedure, according to the FBI.

She told the FBI that Nagarwala 'pinched' her on the 'place (where) she goes pee.'

'(The girl) said that she was told not to talk about the procedure,' FBI Special Agent Kevin Swanson wrote in the complaint.

A subsequent medical examination showed that the young girls' genitals did not appear normal and a section had been altered or removed.

'Finally, the doctor observed some scar tissue and small healing lacerations,' the agent wrote.

The complaint details the second girl's experience with the doctor and she said she underwent a procedure and identified Nagarwala as the doctor.

'She said that she 'got a shot,' and that it hurt really badly and she screamed,' the FBI agent wrote. 'Her parents told her that the procedure is a secret and that she is not supposed to talk about it.

'(The girl) said that after the procedure, she could barely walk, and that she felt pain all the way down to her ankle,' the agent continued.

A subsequent medical exam showed the girl's genitalia had a small incision and a small tear.

On Monday, Minnesota Child Protective Services personnel and a federal agent interviewed the second girl's parents.

They confirmed the trip to Detroit, saying they took the girl to see Nagarwala for a 'cleansing' of extra skin, according to the court filing.

Agents have identified other children who may have been victimized by the doctor between 2005 and 2007, including children in Michigan, according to the FBI agent.

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in 2012 found that roughly 513,000 women and girls in the US were at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation, which was more than three times higher than an earlier estimate based on 1990 data.