Four members of a Syrian family have been accused of sexually abusing girls aged 11 to 17 at a swimming pool in Germany.
The alleged incident took place at the Barbarossabad outdoor pool in Gelnhausen, Hesse, where five schoolgirls initially came forward and reported being assaulted in the water.
The children, who told lifeguards they had been sexually harassed, were reportedly sent back in the pool before police were called.
Despite their claims, staff is said to have told the girls to return to swimming, allegedly asking them to report back if anything else happened.
Four young Syrian men aged between 18 and 28 have been identified as suspects.
Officers were able to speak to three of the men at the pool on Sunday, while a fourth had already left the premises.
Christian Litzinger, the mayor of Gelnhausen, said all four men were known to authorities and live locally in the Main-Kinzig district.
In an interview with local outlet Hessenschau, pool manager Nils Tischer said: ‘Since we couldn’t see exactly what had happened, we sent the girls back into the water with the instruction that they should please let us know if anything happened.’
The alleged incident took place at the Barbarossabad outdoor pool in Gelnhausen, Hesse
It wasn’t until more girls approached lifeguards, saying they too had been sexually harassed, that police were finally called to the scene.
Police has since told Bild that they are now probing the claims of nine girls, aged between 11 and 17, who say they were inappropriately touched by a group of men in the whirlpool area of the pool.
Tischer added to Bild: ‘Of course, the shock is great. We are paying increased attention to our guests at the current channel, i.e. the location of the incident, and are grateful for the police’s support.’
The mayor also said: ‘This is the first incident of its kind in Barbarossabad. Before that, it was limited to minor thefts or insults. So we never expected something like this here.’
The city has since banned all four men from entering the pool and has increased police presence to support pool staff.
Investigations into the alleged assaults are ongoing.
Germany is home to the largest Syrian population away from the Middle East. Many fled from the devastation of the Syrian war.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel came under fire from political opponents when she welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Many Syrians fled their home country to Germany to escape the devastation of war – no one in this picture is involved in the pool incident