NEWS

Child stabbed on Cretan vacation out of danger

A 12-year-old Russian boy who was allegedly stabbed and left for dead by a hotel employee while on vacation in Crete was recovering at a children’s hospital in Athens on Wednesday after undergoing surgery.

Doctors said that the boy, who has not been named, was still in a grave condition after several hours in the operating theater but his life was not in danger.

The child had been airlifted to Athens from northern Crete several hours earlier after being found a few meters from the five-star hotel he was staying at with his mother. A medical examiner said the 12-year-old had been stabbed 20 times.

A 20-year-old Dutchman who worked at the hotel as a children’s entertainer was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the stabbing. Police said the alleged perpetrator had confessed to stabbing the boy and hiding him in bushes near the hotel in Hersonissos.

The 20-year-old allegedly attacked the boy after he was confronted about a stolen mobile phone and laptop. Police said officers at a road block saw the Dutchman throw away a bag containing the items a few hours after the boy’s mother reported him missing.

The Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers said on Wednesday that it would cover the cost for the boy’s family to stay in Crete or Athens for as long as necessary. It described the incident as “unprecedented.”

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