The Spanish National Police have arrested a couple at the port of Tarifa, who were wanted by the Dutch judiciary for unlawfully abducting their three minor children. According to Spanish media, a European arrest warrant had been issued against them for kidnapping and unlawful detention. The couple—he holding a Dutch passport, she a Spanish one—were apprehended while attempting to board a ferry from Tarifa to Tangier, in an illegal attempt to cross the border with their three children. This violated final court rulings issued in the Netherlands, which had ordered the parents to be separated from the children to ensure their protection. During a search of their belongings, the police found jewellery, valuables, and large sums of money, which were considered clear evidence of their intention to permanently leave the country and evade judicial supervision in the Netherlands. The Dutch judiciary had previously convicted the couple for exposing their children to a «very dangerous situation», after they were found to have deliberately deprived them of necessary medical care. According to Dutch authorities, one of the children had suffered fractures in the legs and arms, as well as head bruises that caused a brain haemorrhage requiring urgent neurosurgical intervention. Authorities confirmed that the parents' deliberate neglect of medical care could have led to fatal consequences. The three children are now under the care of a foster family «in a safe environment supervised by social services in the Cádiz region, and monitored by the Juvenile Protection Prosecutor», according to the police. The couple were transferred to Madrid and placed at the disposal of the sixth chamber of investigation at the Spanish National Court, which ordered their remand in custody pending extradition proceedings to the Dutch authorities.
