An American woman was killed after she was thrown more than 160 feet into a ravine by a man who apparently sexually assaulted her at a German castle popular with visitors.
A second woman, who was friends with the victim, was seriously injured after she tried to intervene in the attack near Neuschwanstein Castle, which is said to have inspired Walt Disney, in Bavaria on Wednesday.
A suspect, reported to be a 30-year-old American national, has been arrested as police investigate the case as murder, attempted murder and sexual assault.
A Bavarian prosecutor said the women encountered the man on the Marienbrücke Bridge, a pedestrian route which overlooks the world-famous castle, before he led them onto a trail leading to a viewpoint.
In quotes reported by BILD newspaper, chief public prosecutor Thomas Hörmann said: “The crime happened on Wednesday around 2.40pm. The two tourists happened to meet the man on a hiking tour east of the Marienbrücke and joined him.”
At some point the man is said to have sexually assaulted the young woman. When her 22-year-old intervened, the man strangled her and threw her 50 metres into a ravine below the Marienbrücke Bridge, German media reported.
He then strangled the 21-year-old and pushed her into the ravine as well, it was claimed.
“According to the current state of knowledge, an attempted sexual offence to the detriment of the 21-year-old must be assumed,” said police in a statement translated into English.
The suspect was caught after a huge police operation involving 25 emergency vehicles on Wednesday afternoon and taken to a police station in nearby Fuessen, it added.
When mountain rescue workers found the two women, the 22-year-old was injured but apparently able to talk. She remains in hospital with injuries described as serious.
The 21-year-old was taken by helicopter to hospital, where she died that night. Authorities are yet to identify the man or the two women but all three are reported to be American.
Police are investigating the attack as murder, attempted murder and sexual assault with investigators planning a reconstruction to examine the incident.
Under German law, suspects must be brought before a judge before the end of the day of their arrest if its requested that they be kept in custody.
Police said a judge ordered him to be held in custody.
Neuschwanstein Castle, about 65 miles south-west of Munich, is one of the most popular destinations in Europe and is said to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney behind King Stefan’s castle in Sleeping Beauty.
It is estimated about 1.4 million people visit the castle annually, and in the summer months the castle counts more than 6,000 visitors on average daily.