Police Say A Viral Story Of A 13-Year-Old Girl Kidnapped And Raped By Migrants Is False
Social media rumors and a viral news video led to outrage and protests in Berlin.
Berlin police were forced to publicly deny a media report that claimed a 13-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped by migrants after a video of the report went viral on Facebook.
In a statement released on Facebook, police confirmed that a 13-year-old girl in Marzahn, Berlin – for her protection the police did not name the girl – had gone missing on Jan. 11.
Officers said she was found the following day, after her parents filed a report, and that investigations showed there was neither a kidnapping nor a rape.
Police urged the public to "handle the issue sensitively in social networks" after the report proved to be of "interest to the internet community."
On Tuesday, police said they were still examining the case, but did not change their original statement.
Prior to their statement, the story of the missing girl was shared widely on social media, and unverified claims that she was kidnapped and raped by "migrants" who had "lured her into a car" spread like wildfire.
One viral Facebook post – which is shown above and has since been deleted – said that a relative of the victim was the source, and that police were "silent on the crime."
The post described the missing girl as a "victim of crazed men" and claimed she was "detained for 30 hours and raped several times by these wild strangers."