19 July 2007

ROME – The story of the disappearance of a 3-year-old Dutch boy in the centre of Rome on Wednesday was fabricated by the boy's father. The father was seeking attention, Roman police said this morning.

It turns out that the father has not had contact with his son, who was born in Groningen in 2004, in months. The man, who is of Algerian background, finally admitted when questioned a second time by police that his son had been taken by the child's mother, a Romanian woman. He has not seen or heard from them since.

The police are following up on the man's story and want to know whether the woman is being sought by the Dutch authorities.

42-year-old Mourad Grairia reported his son as missing on Tuesday. He said he had been walking with the boy near the Termini central station in Rome when he lost sight of the child.

Investigation shows that the man has been in Rome for a week already, but without the child. Initially he had told authorities he was on holiday with the boy and planned to travel onward to Sicily.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Dutch news