PARIS — Paris airport police held a 6-year-old French girl for three days on the mistaken suspicion she had a fake passport — until a judge ordered her released into her mother’s arms.
Lawyer Sidonie Leoue said Friday that the girl was detained Saturday at Charles de Gaulle airport, after arriving from Cameroon. Leoue says the girl was traveling as an unaccompanied minor carrying all necessary documents.
The girl was held in a special police nursery for three days before she appeared before a judge, who ordered her release Tuesday, Leoue said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said that the police were doing their jobs in scrutinizing documents to protect minors from trafficking. He said the ministry issued guidance Friday urging border police to handle such cases faster.