American forced to watch girlfriend get raped in Brazil

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  Police said a woman and her companion were brutally assaulted and held for hours aboard a public transport van they boarded in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach neighborhood.Reuters

An American woman and her French companion were brutally assaulted and held for hours aboard a public transport van they boarded in Rio de Janeiro's showcase Copacabana beach neighborhood, police said in a statement.

The victims' nationalities were identified by The New York Times. The two were held for around six hours starting shortly after midnight on Saturday, police said. Two men aged 20 and 22 have been taken into custody and a third is being sought in connection with the incident .

Police said the suspects forced other passengers to get out of the van and then sexually assaulted the American woman, 21, inside the vehicle, which was one of a fleet of vans that serve bus routes and seat about a dozen people. During the alleged assault, the tourists were driven to the poor suburban neighborhood of Sao Goncalo, where the two suspects were apprehended, the statement said.

Reports said the two had been studying Portuguese in Rio for about a month and that both left the country following the incident.

The statement said one of the victims' cellphone was found in the suspects' possession. The suspects had also used a debit card belonging to one of the victims at two gas stations, the statement said.

The Globo television network broadcast surveillance camera images of two men filling up the white van and showed police images of a metal bar the suspects are thought to have used to beat and intimidate the victims.

The victims positively identified the two suspects, and a Brazilian woman has said she'd also been assaulted by the pair on March 23, the statement said.

In an interview with Globo television, commanding officer Alexandre Braga, who heads the Rio police unit specializing in crimes against tourists, said the suspects had gone on a sex crime spree.

"The characteristics of both crimes, both the Brazilian case and the one with the foreigners, lead us to believe that they (the suspects) wanted to have a `party of evil,' in quotes," Braga said. "The principal motive appears to have been the satisfaction of their lust."

He added that the robbery and other crimes appear to have been "secondary."

Multiple calls to police seeking further detail Monday have not been returned.

The incident raises new questions about security in Rio, which has cracked down on once-endemic drug violence in preparation for hosting next year's soccer World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympic games.

The city will also be playing host to World Youth Day, a Roman Catholic pilgrimage expected to draw some 2 million people in late July.

The attack also drew comparisons with the fatal December beating and gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus. Six men beset a 23-year-old university student and male friend after they boarded a private bus, touching off a wave of protests across India demanding stronger protection for women.

In Brazil, more than 5,300 cases of sexual assault were reported between January and June 2012, according to the country's Health Ministry.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

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I won't be forced out: Benitez

Chelsea's manager ... Rafael Benitez vows to see out his contract. Source: Sang Tan / AP

Under-fire Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez insists there is no chance he will be forced out before his contract expires at the end of this season.

Benitez has faced renewed calls for his dismissal after he launched an astonishing attack on the club's fans and the Stamford Bridge hierarchy following his side's 2-0 win at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old, despised by many Chelsea fans following his spell with their rivals Liverpool, risked the wrath of Blues owner Roman Abramovich by asking why the club insisted on making him an 'interim' manager when he replaced the sacked Roberto di Matteo in November.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	27	22	2	3	33	68
2	Man City	27	16	8	3	26	56
3	Tottenham	27	15	6	6	15	51
4	Chelsea	27	14	7	6	25	49
5	Arsenal	27	13	8	6	22	47
6	Everton	27	10	12	5	7	42
7	West Brom	27	12	4	11	2	40
8	Liverpool	27	10	9	8	15	39
9	Swansea	27	9	10	8	4	37
10	Stoke	27	7	12	8	-6	33
11	Fulham	27	8	8	11	-5	32
12	Norwich	27	7	11	9	-14	32
13	Newcastle	27	8	6	13	-10	30
14	West Ham	27	8	6	13	-10	30
15	Sunderland	27	7	8	12	-7	29
16	Southampton	27	6	9	12	-11	27
17	Wigan	27	6	6	15	-18	24
18	Aston Villa	27	5	9	13	-26	24
19	Reading	27	5	8	14	-18	23
20	QPR	27	2	11	14	-24	17

Benitez's outburst sparked speculation that his position was in immediate danger, but the Spaniard took training as scheduled on Thursday as the European champions began preparations for Saturday's league game with West Bromwich Albion.

And, asked during an interview with the BBC's Football Focus program, if he might be axed for his outburst, Benitez was adamant he retains a good enough relationship with Abramovich to be allowed to stay.

"No (I won't be sacked). They know how we work and what we are trying to do. The players are really happy in what we are trying to do. Sometimes you win, sometimes you cannot," Benitez said.

"The atmosphere in the club is really good. There are no issues in the team. In terms of what we do the players are fully behind the methods."

Abramovich is regarded as one of the most demanding owners in world football and the Russian billionaire has notched up a series of high-profile sackings during nearly 10 years in charge at Stamford Bridge.

But Benitez talked positively of his rapport with Abramovich and insisted there had been no rows between the duo.

"My relationship with Roman Abramovich is very good," he said.

"When I meet with Roman Abramovich we talk about football, we talk like normal people and share our passion for football.

"My relationship with the staff and people at the club is really good."

Benitez has faced opposition from a core of disillusioned Chelsea fans ever since he arrived at the club and during his post-Middlesbrough rant, he accused those supporters of having unrealistic expectations about the current squad.

But he was in more placatory mood during the BBC interview and tried to at least partially fix their fractured relationship by calling for a united front to help third placed Chelsea reach their goal of qualifying for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish.

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