Alexandria, Virginia (CNN) A Middle East specialist with ties to the Trump White House has arrived in Virginia to face a child pornography charge and will remain in jail before his formal detention hearing, a federal judge said Thursday during a brief court appearance.

George Aref Nader, who informally advised the White House and was a key witness in the Russia investigation, will be back in court on Friday. Nader's lawyers want a judge to release him from jail, citing a medical condition, though prosecutors have signaled their opposition.

Nader appeared in a khaki jail uniform and appeared to have a medical bracelet on his left wrist. His lawyers previously said he was dealing with complications from recent heart surgery. He answered a few procedural questions in court, speaking softly and mumbling his words.

The hearing was the latest development in a whirlwind week for Nader. He arrived in the US on Monday to receive specialized medical treatment in New York to deal with complications from heart surgery. Instead, he ended up in federal custody on a year-old child pornography charge. He was then driven by FBI agents from New York to Virginia to attend Thursday's hearing.

The case can be traced back to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

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