Spanish student missing in Lille found in Iceland

The French Prosecutor's Office announced to EFE this Wednesday that Leul Alba Buenestado, the Spanish Erasmus student who disappeared five days ago in Lille (in the north of the country), has been found alive in Iceland.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
19 December 2023 Tuesday 16:05
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Spanish student missing in Lille found in Iceland

The French Prosecutor's Office announced to EFE this Wednesday that Leul Alba Buenestado, the Spanish Erasmus student who disappeared five days ago in Lille (in the north of the country), has been found alive in Iceland.

Prosecutor Carole Étienne explained that the information was transmitted to her by French investigators. According to Étienne, the student contacted his parents by telephone.

"We have just received new elements, which we must confirm, which indicate that he is in Iceland. This is good news because we would not be talking about a disturbing disappearance," Étienne, who was unable to provide more details about this appearance, told EFE.

The prosecutor has said that, according to information received by the police commissioner in charge of the investigation, Alba Buenestado came into contact with her parents, who reside in Melilla.

Étienne has indicated that it was three friends of the master's student at the Faculty of Legal, Political and Social Sciences (FSJPS) of Lille who raised the alert about the disappearance on Saturday the 16th, a day after the young man did not appear at a Christmas dinner.

Last weekend, the police searched room 127 of the Albert Châtelet residence, which the student occupied. "There was no disorder in the room that would allow us to think that there was a fight, there were personal things that were no longer there, something normal for someone who wants to go on a trip. There was only one window left ajar," he revealed.

The prosecutor added that the proceedings of the French authorities concluded, after carrying out telephone traces, that Alba Buenestado had purchased a Blablacar ticket to Amsterdam, initially alone.

"We have no element that leads us to think that he was accompanied. Neither the first investigations, nor what his friends told us either, lead us to think that he had a girlfriend or boyfriend that he could have gone with," he said. affirmed.

Etiénne has also clarified that "nothing indicates" that there were signs of any type of radicalization on the part of the Erasmus student.