A 22-year-old Hungarian man was placed in temporary custody in Hungary on Tuesday, suspected of building a relationship with a 15-year-old Danish girl in order to commit sexual offenses against her.
The Hungarian court system confirmed the detention in a press release, DR reports. Ekstra Bladet was the first outlet to report the remand decision, which was taken on August 11, 2026.
According to the Hungarian press release, the man is suspected of transporting the girl from Denmark to Hungary on August 4, together with an unknown accomplice. Hungarian police say he met her through social media and manipulated her because of her young age and lack of experience.
The 22-year-old was charged at a court hearing at the court in Horsens on Friday. DR cannot report the exact wording of the charge, because a reporting ban is in place. Sydøstjyllands Politi told DR it has no comment on the case.
The girl was located in Hungary after two days. She returned to Denmark on Sunday, where she was reunited with her family.
The Hungarian press release states that the man has consented to the detention. Ekstra Bladet adds that he has agreed to be surrendered, but has not waived the speciality principle. That means he can only be prosecuted for the offenses covered by the European arrest warrant.
The Hungarian outlet Telex reports that the Budapest Court ordered an interim transfer detention of the 22-year-old. Per Telex, the decision rests on a European arrest warrant from Horsens City Court citing kidnapping, unlawful detention or hostage-taking, exploitation of children and child pornography. Telex also reports that the man allegedly met the girl via social media in January 2026.
Surrender not yet decided
The Hungarian court system says it has not yet ruled on whether the man will be surrendered to Denmark. According to the press release, a surrender will only take place if Danish authorities can guarantee that any prison sentence is served in his home country rather than in Denmark. Danish authorities have until August 21 to provide those guarantees.
DR’s court correspondent, Louise Dalsgaard, said Danish police have likely spent recent days going through interviews and technical evidence in the case. She noted that Danish authorities early on stated they believed a criminal offense had taken place, and obtained a European arrest warrant against the man and a still unidentified accomplice.
As stated by Dalsgaard, Denmark also has to supply Hungary with detailed information about what is suspected, including where and when it happened and the suspect’s role. That process led to the 22-year-old now being held in custody.
Earlier in the case, Sydøstjyllands Politi said the 15-year-old, who left her home in Hedensted, was found in Hungary on August 6, 2026, after cooperation between Hungarian police, Europol and the Danish Europol unit. Hungarian police stated at that stage that they saw no indications the girl had been the victim of a crime, while Danish police said they suspected a criminal offense.
