French couple who planned to ‘sacrifice’ their ‘possessed’ 5-year-old son arrested in Spain

The couple were about to board a ferry to Morocco and intended to murder their son in the Sahara, police said. They were arrested on December 21

Both parents had ‘psychiatric problems’ and have been remanded in custody in Spain, police said. The child is in good health

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A French couple have been arrested in Spain for planning to ‘sacrifice’ their ‘possessed’ 5-year-old son. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 12:38am, 31 Dec 2023Updated: 6:00am, 31 Dec 2023

Spanish authorities on Saturday said they had arrested a French couple earlier in December for planning to “sacrifice” in the Sahara their five-year-old son, who they believed to be “possessed”.

The couple were arrested on December 21 in the southern Spanish port of Algeciras, as the family was about to board a ferry to the Moroccan city of Tangiers.

The Guardia Civil police force said in a statement they had arrested a “couple of French origin” who “intended to murder their five-year-old son in the Sahara, believing him to be possessed”.

Both parents had “psychiatric problems” and were the subject of a European arrest warrant for the abduction of a minor, the Guardia Civil added.

The pair have been remanded in custody by a judge in Spain.

The child is in good health and has been sent to a reception centre for minors in Spain before being returned to France.