Civil Guard officers at Barcelona–El Prat Airport intercepted a man who was attempting to flee Spain illegally with his son. The arrest followed a child-abduction report filed by the child’s mother with the Tías Armed Institute barracks in Lanzarote. The woman claimed that her former partner had taken the child and planned to travel abroad without her consent, breaching a parental agreement that requires both parents to consent before any international travel with a child.
The complaint outlined that the father and child were in the Catalan capital with the intent to depart Spain, despite a regulatory framework that governs cross-border travel for minors. While there is no specific prohibition on moving through Spanish territory, authorities acted quickly to locate the pair before their scheduled flight to Naples, Italy, and before they could cross international borders with the child.
Only 30 minutes left to leave the country
Time was of the essence. With boarding for the Naples flight set to open in half an hour, multiple Civil Guard teams coordinated a rapid response. The operation culminated in the father’s detention on charges related to the suspected kidnapping of a child. After the arrest, the suspect was brought to the courthouse and released under new monitoring measures established by the supervising magistrate. While officers secured the suspect, other units stayed with the child to keep him calm and comforted during the tense moment.
The mother’s earlier trip to Lanzarote, where she had taken her son, led them to Barcelona in an effort to safeguard the child’s welfare. Authorities praised the swift intervention, noting that it not only prevented an international abduction but also maintained the child’s safety and well-being throughout the detention process. In such cases, law enforcement emphasizes the importance of quick, coordinated action and clear adherence to parental consent rules to protect minors when face-to-face custody and travel disputes arise.