THREE men have been arrested accused of the New Year’s Eve rape of three American sisters in Murcia, Spain.

The suspects are Afghans aged between 20 and 25. They spent a night in jail last night (January 2).

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The delegate of the Government in Murcia, Francisco Jiménez, said today in a press conference that the alleged sexual assault on the three American sisters from Ohio, USA, in Murcia took place in two different homes, one in the Plaza de la Candelaria where the youngest of them lived during her stay as a student, and another location was the home of the three arrested Afghan citizens.

Two of the three detainees had recently been granted political asylum in Spain and one of them is studying professional training in the country. None of them has a criminal record and their situation is regular in Spain since they have residence permits.

The victims have flown back to the USA via Vienna (Austria), where they are now. The National Police has contacted the American Embassy in Spain to be able to contact them and inform them of the progress of the investigation that has been opened in Murcia.

For the moment, the medical expert’s report from the Institute of Legal Medicine to which the girls were subjected in the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in Murcia, as established by the protocol in these cases, is not in the possession of the National Police, although a copy has been provided to the women so that they can take it home with them.

The police are collecting images from surveillance cameras in the central district of Santa Eulalia where the women met the detainees in a pub on New Year’s Eve. In addition, the police are investigating the social networks of the people involved in case there is evidence in this case.

According to Jiménez, the two older sisters of the one who was studying in Murcia travelled to the city at Christmas to spend a few days’ holiday in Spain, and were then travelling back to their country together once the youngest, aged 18, had finished her course of study.

The detainees were reportedly taken to different police stations after having spent the night in the one located in Plaza Ceballos, near the neighbourhood of Santa Eulalia where the events took place. Until the police investigation has been completed, they will not be brought before the courts.

The victims, three sisters aged 18, 20 and 23 respectively, reported to the National Police that three individuals had raped them.

Sources close to the case have said that the three men deny raping anyone and claim that all contact with the girls was consensual.

The victims were subjected to a forensic examination after the complaint was filed. According to police sources, there are indications not only of sexual assault, but also of injuries to one of the girls who was attacked.