Man Charged With Raping US Tourist in Paris Public Toilet

Paris has been shocked by the rape of an American tourist in the heart of a district generally considered safe. Investigators say the 27-year-old woman was out with her husband Saturday night on the right bank of the River Seine near Notre Dame Cathedral, an area that is busy by day and by night, the Guardian reports. The woman stopped to use a public toilet around 1am and when she didn't return for around 10 minutes, he went to the toilet door, heard crying, and entered to find that she was being attacked, reports Le Parisien.

The man, identified by Le Parisien as a 23-year-old Algerian national, was arrested after bystanders helped trap him in the toilet, the Independent reports. The woman was treated in a Paris hospital and returned to the US after giving evidence to the police. The suspect was charged with rape and remains in custody. Authorities said that in police interviews, the suspect denied rape and claimed the woman had consented. (More Paris stories.)