2 Paris police officers investigated in alleged rape of Canadian

PARIS – French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into two Paris police officers in connection with the alleged rape of a Canadian woman at the city’s police headquarters.

France’s interior minister says in a statement that both police officers, who haven’t been named, as well as a third who is considered as a witness, have been suspended pending the investigation’s outcome.

Prosecutors are investigating an accusation of gang rape made by the Canadian tourist last week.

French media reports, citing police sources, say a 34-year-old Toronto woman first met the off-duty officers in a bar close to the police headquarters on Tuesday.

The reports say she later agreed to follow them to their workplace. The reports say the woman allegedly left distraught and told another officer that she had been raped.

Sebastien Schapira, a lawyer for one of the accused, denied his client did anything wrong.

He told The Canadian Press the officer had sexual relations with the woman but they were consensual.

The woman has undergone a medical examination and DNA samples have been taken, according to the reports.

— with files from Associated Press