A 17-year-old boy has been arrested over the sexual assault of three girls aged just 10 and 11 at a reception centre for unaccompanied minors in Ceuta.

The Policia Nacional confirmed the arrest to national newspaper El Español, which reports that both the suspect and the three alleged victims arrived in the Spanish enclave during the mass crossing on July 30.

The alleged attacks took place during the first weeks of August at the Piniers centre in Ceuta’s El Principe neighbourhood.

The site has been used as temporary accommodation for unaccompanied foreign minors during the ongoing migration crisis.

According to reports first published by ABC, the arrested teenager is Moroccan and the three girls are of North African origin.

Officers are now investigating the precise circumstances surrounding the alleged assaults and whether the teenager could have committed other sexual offences at the same facility.

The investigation is being handled by the Policia Nacional’s specialist Family and Women’s Unit (UFAM).

Detectives are attempting to identify any potential additional victims and reconstruct the teenager’s movements during his time at the centre.

The investigation remains open and police have not ruled out further testimony emerging.

The arrest comes amid heightened concern over sexual offences reported in Ceuta since the unprecedented migration crisis began at the end of July.

According to the latest figures attributed to Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, 23 sexual assaults have been recorded in Ceuta since the beginning of the crisis.

Five of the cases have been classified as rape because they involved penetration.

Authorities have so far identified eight alleged perpetrators in connection with the 23 cases – four Moroccan nationals, three Spaniards and one Belgian – while suspects in the remaining cases have not yet been identified.

Nine of the victims in those wider cases are reported to be minors aged between 14 and 17.