Germany: French man arrested in child abuse investigation

BERLIN – A French man has been arrested in connection with a child abuse investigation in Germany in which 11 people are now in custody, authorities said Thursday.

The 62-year-old suspect was arrested on Wednesday in Saarbruecken, near the French border, police and prosecutors in Cologne said in a statement.

He is accused of sexually abusing a child in Pulheim, near Cologne, in December 2018. Police who searched his home in France seized large quantities of data and a large-calibre weapon, as well as a cannabis garden in the basement.

Prosecutors allege that the child was brought to him by the 27-year-old main suspect in the German case centred on the western city of Muenster, which emerged in June.

There are now 22 suspects in the case.

The 27-year-old, who has two previous convictions for possessing child pornography, is accused of abusing his partner’s 10-year-old son and offering him to other men.