The imam of Ripoll has been arrested for touching a minor.

BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) arrested the imam of Ripoll last Thursday for the alleged sexual assault of a minor. According to sources consulted by ARA, the detainee touched an 11-year-old girl inappropriately during a class at the madrasa, the Islamic school that shares facilities with the town's mosque. The Ripoll City Council expressed its regret at not being informed of the imam's arrest through "official channels" and offered its support to the victim and her family. "We condemn all forms of sexual violence and reiterate our absolute commitment to protecting the rights of children and adolescents," the council stated in a press release published on social media this Saturday. The City Council also offered municipal legal services to those affected, as well as psychological and social support resources. The leader of Aliança Catalana and mayor of Ripoll, Sílvia Orriols, has stated that the City Council "will request to join the prosecution when the trial is held" against the detainee and has criticized the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, for not informing them. "That I find out thanks to a Moroccan woman, and not thanks to the Department of the Interior, that the imam who preaches in Ripoll has been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a minor, is implausible and unacceptable," she emphasized on social media.

She also made the statement through the City Council's official channels, where the council expressed its "deep displeasure at not having been informed of this situation through official channels, especially considering the seriousness of the events and the social impact they may have." However, she insisted that they are currently available to offer "the necessary assistance." The judge of Court Number 1 in Ripoll has released the detainee without bail and has prohibited him from approaching within 150 meters of the minor or communicating with her while the investigation is underway.