Missing Dutch teen girls reunited with parents
Dutch teens Femke Lucas and Sam Bruijs are back home in Bergen op Zoom and reunited with their parents, according to Dutch newspaper AD. The two 16-year-old girls disappeared on Tuesday and were finally found in Portugal on Saturday.
The girls were found in the company of a 34-year-old Dutch-Moroccan man, who was arrested in Albufeira on Saturday afternoon. Portuguese media reports that he was the one to call the police and let them know where the girls were. But the Dutch police deny this. According to the police, they did receive a tip from a Dutch man on the girls' whereabouts on Friday night, but it was not the suspect who called.
Why the man was with the missing girls is still unclear. As is why the teenagers left the Netherlands in the first place - at this stage there is no evidence that they did so against their will. The man is suspected of "ilegally removing children from their parents' custody". More charges may be added after the two girls gave a statement to the Dutch police.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor could not tell the newspaper if and when the suspect will be extradited to the Netherlands. The Prosecutor hopes to gain more clarity on this case during the course of the week.
