6 On Your Side can confirm a story generating controversy online involving an alleged rape in Twin Falls at the hands of Syrian refugee children is not accurate, according to Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs.
The allegations are outlined in a story being reported by a number of websites, in one instance even picked up by the Drudge Report, describing the alleged attack.
The attack is described as a sexual assault on a young girl in an apartment complex laundry room by three Syrian refugee children aged 14, 10, and 7.
The 6 On Your Side newsroom has received a number of questions about the information’s accuracy.
Loebs says there was an incident of some sort, but tells 6 On Your Side no Syrian refugees were involved.
"There has been a lot of controversies as you know in the nation and in Twin Falls County in particular because we have a refugee center here. To my knowledge, there have been no Syrians settled in Twin Falls County. Whether that is true or not, there are no Syrians involved in this case," Loebs explained.
6 On Your Side has confirmed through the Idaho Office for Refugees there are no Syrian refugees settled in Twin Falls.
Jan Reeves with the Idaho Office for Refugees said in the past fiscal year, there were only 35 Syrian refugees resettled in the state of Idaho, all in Boise. Since the start of the current fiscal year, only one Syrian refugee has arrived in the Gem State, also in Boise.
Two boys are currently being held in a detention center where a judge will be in charge of deciding what will happen next.
Betsy Russell with The Spokesman-Review was the first to report this information.
Eye on Boise: False story on social media claims Syrian refugees raped Idaho girl https://t.co/OHVQ2ujGcy
— Betsy Z. Russell (@BetsyZRussell) June 20, 2016
We will bring you updates to this story as they come into our newsroom.
