SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Mum held over French toddler’s death

A woman arrested in France on Friday was being detained as part of a murder investigation into the death of a toddler identified as her daughter, prosecutors said.

The unidentified woman was apprehended in the eastern Paris suburb of Saint-Mande after a public appeal for her whereabouts following the November 20th discovery of the body of the girl on a Normandy beach.

The suspect was refusing to talk to police, but DNA tests showed her parental link to the toddler, regional assistant prosecutor Nathalie Bagny told AFP.

Surveillance video images had shown the woman and the child taking a train from Paris to the Normandy coastal town of Berck-sur-Mer on November 19, then the woman returning alone the next day, some hours after the girl’s body was discovered.

Dozens of people were to hold a “white” march on Saturday in homage of the dead girl, believed to be around one year old and whose identity has not been made public, according to local officials.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CRIME

Teen held in France over ‘die a martyr’ Olympics messages

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in France after he allegedly said on social media he wanted to make an explosive belt and die a martyr at the Paris Olympics this summer, officials said.

Teen held in France over 'die a martyr' Olympics messages

The teenager from the department of Haute-Savoie in southeastern France was arrested on Tuesday, said the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office, adding a probe had been launched on Wednesday.

The teenager was arrested “following his statements on social media announcing his intention to make an explosive belt with a view to dying a martyr,” the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office said.

During a search of his parents’ home, handwritten papers were discovered in which the teen had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, a police source said.

According to the same source, the teenager admitted to having planned to commit a “terrorist act” using a gun or explosive belt at La Défense, the business district west of the capital that is also home to an arena hosting swimming and water polo competitions during the Games.

The anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office said work was under way to determine the teen’s exact intentions.

The DGSI, France’s domestic intelligence agency, is conducting an investigation.

France is hosting the Olympic Games in Paris from July 26th to August 11th, with security during the event a major concern.

In March the government raised its terror alert to the highest level.

SHOW COMMENTS