Teens try to collect ransom by faking a kidnapping in Berlin

BERLIN – Berlin police say a 13-year-old girl and her 18-year-old friend have faked the girl's kidnapping to blackmail a ransom from her father, a move that led to a massive manhunt involving 280 officers in the German capital.

Police spokeswoman Patricia Braemer said Sunday that police first heard Thursday night about the alleged kidnapping. The girl and her male friend were eventually apprehended on a Berlin street on Friday night. The girl was taken to the city's youth welfare office because she refused to return home. The 18-year-old was detained by police.

Braemer said the girl and her friend are both Syrian citizens. She would not comment on how much money the two demanded from her father, but local paper B.Z. reported they asked for 40,000 euros ($44,650).