Two Moroccan migrants were arrested by Spanish authorities this week for allegedly sexually abusing at least eight girls, including three minors, as police say there could be even more victims.
The two Moroccan men, aged 21 and 31, were arrested in the town of Elda near Alicante after being accused of sexually molesting at least eight girls earlier this week during a local festival in the town.
The alleged sex attacks are said to have taken place at around 3:40 a.m. on Monday, June 6th, and several of the victims told police that the suspects had approached them during the festival, hugged them, and touched their private areas without their consent, Ok Diario reports.
Police arrived on the scene and were able to identify one of the Moroccans with the help of the alleged victims and took him into custody. A short time later, after receiving another call from a young woman claiming to have been sexually abused, police located and arrested the second suspect.
Police linked the victims to others who had reported similar experiences the night before, as their statements had been very similar. In total, police identified eight victims, three of whom were minors, but have not ruled out the possibility that there may have been more sexual assault victims and are conducting an ongoing investigation.
The case bears the same pattern that has been seen at festivals across Europe, in which migrant and migration-background men have been accused of carrying out sex attacks.
Last week, a group of young women were attacked aboard a train while trying to leave Lake Garda in Northern Italy by a mob of as many as 2,000 youths, mostly migrants or from migration backgrounds. They caused havoc in two local towns along the lakefront.
A total of ten girls reported being sexually harassed or abused by an estimated 30 young men believed to have taken part in the attacks.