Morocco's ex-Olympic champ Khalid Skah arrested in France

PARIS (AFP) - French police on Wednesday arrested Morocco's former Olympic champion Khalid Skah over an extradition request linked to a fierce custody battle between the athlete and the Norwegian mother of his two children.

A source requesting anonymity said the 46-year-old athlete, who won the 10,000 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was arrested at the Orly airport in Paris.

Skah and his ex-wife Anne Cecilie Hopstock have been locked in a six-year-long custody battle.

According to Skah, the two children Tarik and Selma had lived in Rabat since 2006 and their mother left the next year to return to Norway.

Supported by Moroccan authorities, Skah has since accused the Norwegian embassy in Rabat of abducting the children and helping Hopstock organise their 2009 clandestine departure.

Oslo admits it temporarily housed the children at the ambassador's residence, believing their safety was at risk, but denies any involvement in their leaving the country.

Both parents have obtained custody of the children, who have dual nationality, in their respective countries.