A 29-year-old Afghan migrant has been indicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl who had run away from home in the French city of Nantes.
The suspect was formally charged on June 29 for the attack, which occurred in the early hours of June 11 under the Willy-Brandt bridge in the heart of the city.
According to the Ouest-France news outlet, the schoolgirl was found alone near the adjacent Aristide Briand Bridge at approximately 5 a.m. by a woman walking home from the New Factory nightclub on Rue de Rieux. The minor reportedly confided in her that she had been raped a few hours earlier, and the police were called to the scene.
The schoolgirl was meticulous in her description of her attacker and the events leading up to the rape. She told police she had left her home in the nearby Malakoff district at around 6 p.m. the day before. She was approached by a man initially for a conversation before she continued walking toward the city center.
She revealed the same man had followed her to a bus stop where he approached her again, this time violently grabbing her wrist and dragging her under the Willy Brandt Bridge. There, the girl was raped by the suspect, who then fled the scene.
“The young girl was able to provide us with an incredibly detailed description of her attacker’s attire: white cap, cargo pants and Nike Air Force 1 sneakers,” investigators told the press.
Authorities scoured surveillance footage and conducted fieldwork during a two-week investigation before locating a suspect who fit the description provided by the victim. The 29-year-old was arrested by police on June 28; police seized shoes, pants and a cap similar to what the victim said her attacker wore during a search of the suspect’s home.
Little has been reported about the man other than he is an Afghan migrant who has resided in France for more than five years.
He denies the allegation.
