Three Siblings With Throats Slit: Mother Held

Police have arrested the mother of three children who were found with their throats slit at their home near Paris.

She was held in the French capital after a police hunt for her was launched following the discovery of the siblings, aged nine, 11 and 17.

Their father, who is a doctor, raised the alarm after returning home in the morning from work, police and judicial sources said.

The authorities said: "The children had their throats slit but we are still awaiting forensic reports."

The bodies of the nine-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother showed multiple stab wounds.

When the emergency services arrived the eldest brother was still alive but he later died of his injuries.

The killings took place in the suburban town of Dampmart, 30km (19 miles) east of Paris, in the Seine-et-Marne region.

The father was found in a state of shock.

The couple were having marital problems, investigators said.

The residential street where the children were found was closed off by police.