A 25-year-old man suspected of the sexual abuse of a girl under the age of 15 in Oulu, northwestern Finland, who was arrested in Germany last Tuesday is now reported to be at large.
According to law enforcement officials in Oulu, the suspect was released by German police before he could be transferred to Finnish custody due to "a breakdown in communication between authorities".
Oulu District Court ordered the suspect to be reprimanded into custody in absentia on suspicion of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and aggravated rape. Police have issued an international warrant for the man's arrest.
Local police in Oulu are investigating five separate cases of sexual offences in which all of the suspected victims were minors.
Police previously announced one major investigation involving eight suspects all of whom came to Finland as quota refugees or asylum seekers. The suspect released by German police is one of eight men being investigated.