Swiss man linked to suspected German paedophile ring
Freiburg police said the case came to light following an anonymous tip-off to police in September
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A Swiss man is among those arrested over ties to a suspected online paedophile ring in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg. He was allegedly one of eight people who abused a nine-year-old boy.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies/sb
German police reported on ThursdayExternal link that eight suspected members of an online paedophile network had been arrested in what they described as one of the most serious child sexual abuse cases they have ever investigated.
Police in the southwestern German city of Freiburg said those arrested included a 47-year-old German woman suspected of letting others rape her own son in exchange for payment between 2015 and 2017. The woman and her 37-year-old partner were also accused of abusing the child themselves. The child has been taken into protective care.
In a statement, the police said others arrested were a 37-year-old Swiss man; a 32-year-old Spanish citizen; and two Germans, including a 49-year-old soldier stationed in Alsace, France.
The arrest of the Swiss man in Austria was confirmed by the General Directorate of the Judicial Police in Vienna.
The case came to light following an anonymous tip-off to police in September. The suspects, who were not identified, were all arrested last autumn. Freiburg police said they only released information about the case on Thursday in order not to endanger further investigations.
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