Civil Guards on the holiday island of Majorca are investigating a report that a man broke into a hotel bedroom and abducted and raped a six-year-old Irish girl in the resort of Palma Nova.
Police are refusing to divulge the names of the parents, their hometown or the hotel to protect the identity of the child.
She was reportedly taken from the room at around 5 a.m. on Monday, while her parents, travelling on a British passport, slept. She told her family she was taken to the hotel grounds and raped in bushes near the swimming pool, but was able to return to the room to raise the alarm. The child and her parents were taken to a nearby medical centre for DNA testing.
The girl's parents are remaining on the island during the investigation.
Police in Palma have described the situation as "extremely delicate" and say the case will hang on forensic evidence. The girl told her parents and a police childcare officer that the man who allegedly attacked her was young and spoke English with a British accent.
Police detained a 17-year-old British male for questioning, although he was later released. His passport was confiscated and he has been ordered to report to the police station on a regular basis.
Palma Nova, on the south of the island, is some 25 km from the capital Palma de Mallorca. It has some 35 hotels and as many self-catering apartment complexes. A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said an Irish honorary consul was based in Majorca but "we haven't got any details yet".