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A teenage refugee has been arrested on suspicion of the rape and murder of the 19-year-old daughter of a senior EU official in Germany.

Medical student Maria Ladenburger was found dead in the university city of Freiburg, where she volunteered at a refugee hostel in her spare time.

Her father is Dr Clemens Ladenburger, a lawyer who works alongside the legal director of the European Commission.

The suspect, an Afghan national, was arrested and is set to appear in court next month.

Maria's body was found in the River Dreisam on October 16.

(Image: Maria Ladenburger/Facebook)

Police later discovered she had been raped before her body was dumped in the water.

Detectives are understood to have linked the suspect to the attack after finding a strand of distinctive, partially-dyed blonde hair near the scene.

CCTV footage reportedly showed the teenager, who police say had a 'very conspicuous hairstyle, an undercut hairstyle' on a local tram.

Public prosecutor Dieter Inhofer said the suspect had recently been given a home by a family in Freiburg.

David Müller, head of the police's Special Commission, said at a press conference: "Through interviews and a web-based survey, we were able to reconstruct Maria's final hours.

(Image: Maria Ladenburger/Facebook)

The 19-year-old student had been at a party. By 2.37am, she left the party. Maria then cycled home, as usual.

"The young woman had been the victim of a sexual offence and a violent crime."

On October 26 Mr Ladenburger and his wife Frederika placed a memorial notice for Maria in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

It read: "Maria was for 19 years a singular ray of sunshine for our family, and that she will remain.

"We thank God for this gift, that he made you with us. We are sure that she is safe with him."