Two asylum seekers, a 32-year-old Syrian and a 20-year-old Afghan, were arrested in the German city of Augsburg and stand accused of repeatedly exposing their genitals to young girls on public transportation.
The two men are said to have exposed themselves time and time again on buses, trains, and streetcars, and have been in custody since the weekend. The Afghan admitted to police to four separate incidents of public exposure while the Syrian has yet to admit to any wrongdoing, Augsburger Allgemeine reports.
In the case of the Afghan, his victims were between the ages of only 10 and 11 years old. He was caught by chance when an investigator, who had seen his face multiple times from security camera footage, recognised him. The investigator called his colleagues who arrested the man in the vicinity of the Curt Frenzel Stadium.
The Syrian is alleged to have exposed himself on seven different occasions though he has yet to admit to any. His youngest victim was also only 10 years old and the migrant is thought to have also potentially molested several of his victims.
He was caught when a pair of teen girls, one of whom he had harassed previously on a tram, called the police and followed the man until he was arrested while giving officers updates as to his location.
Police say they are also looking for a third suspected exhibitionist who they have described as a 30-year-old African male.
Migrants exposing themselves to children or women in public is not unprecedented. Earlier this year in the town Aichach, a 27-year-old asylum seeker from Eritrea was found guilty of exposing himself on eight occasions including one incident involving a 12-year-old girl.
Migrant sex attacks, particularly in swimming pools, have also been a problem for German authorities. Earlier this month, a 63-year-old Iranian migrant was arrested in Öhringen after being accused of molesting several children including a seven-year-old boy.
In some regions, authorities have noted a sharp increase in migrant sex attacks. According to the interior minister of Baden-Württemberg, migrant sex attacks have doubled over the last year.