French couple held in custody after abandoning young sons on Portuguese roadside

In the quiet hills of southern Portugal, two small boys removed their blindfolds to find themselves alone on a roadside — abandoned by their mother and her partner under the pretense of a childhood game. The couple, French nationals with no apparent ties to Portugal, were arrested days later near the pilgrimage town of Fatima and ordered held until trial. The case, which crossed borders and triggered a European arrest warrant, raises enduring questions about the fragility of trust between a child and the adults sworn to protect them.