Man Arrested over Attempted Kidnap of 3-Year-Old Girl in Lanzarote

A 62-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to abduct a three-year-old girl on holiday with her family in the Canary Islands.

The arrest came after police released photographs of the man accused of attempting to kidnap the girl in a shopping centre in the resort of Costa Teguise, Lanzarote in January 2012.

A family from Milton Keynes were on holiday in the Canary Islands resort when a man attempted to kidnap the three-year-old girl by leading her away by the hand from a shop.

The girl's father noticed the child was gone and went outside, where he saw a man taking the girl around the corner into an alleyway.

The photograph of the suspect released by Thames Valley Police was taken by the family, who saw the suspect on a beach after the incident involving the three-year-old.

The suspect left the scene before police were able to arrive. He is believed to be British as he spoke fluent English and talked about being on holiday.

Following the arrest of the suspect, Det Con John Swallow said: "We arrested a man in the London area in connection with this incident earlier today.

"The investigation is ongoing and I want to thank the public for their continued help."