An incorrect translation caused confusion: no arrest took place in Freiburg

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A 17-year-old prisoner escaped on Christmas Eve from Bonneville prison in France’s Haute-Savoie department, about 17 miles southeast of Geneva. Since then he has been untraceable.

The public prosecutor’s office in Annecy reported on Wednesday the alleged arrest of the minor in the canton of Fribourg for burglary. However, Freiburg police told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Thursday when asked that the cantonal police had not made any arrests or detentions in the case.

It involved a misunderstanding between the Swiss and French police, radio station France Bleu reported. The Annecy public prosecutor’s office admitted on Thursday that he was never actually arrested.

Translation error from English to German

The Annecy prosecutor explained the error as a translation error from English to French. There was a confusion between the two police forces based on a protocol written in English. The international arrest warrant for the young man remained valid.

The minor, who was taken into custody on December 18 for armed robbery, had escaped during a medical transfer on December 24. According to the prosecutor, he took advantage of the open sliding door of the jail vehicle when the driver tried to establish himself and fled on foot. He was handcuffed to his belt.

A European arrest warrant was issued for the man on December 29. He was considered “quite dangerous,” a source familiar with the investigation said. However, when he fled, the prosecutor pointed out that he was unarmed and had no accomplices. (SDA)

Source: Blick