A man arrested in Berlin over the disappearance and death of a four-year-old migrant boy has admitted killing another child who went missing in July, German prosecutors said yesterday.

Police told a news conference that the 32-year-old man, named only as Silvio S., had confessed during questioning to killing both Mohamed Januzi, an Albanian boy whose family was seeking asylum in Germany, and six-year-old Elias from Potsdam.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday after his mother told police her son had informed her he was involved in Mohamed's abduction. The child’s body was later found packed in cat litter in the boot of his car. Mohamed disappeared on October 1 while waiting outside Berlin's central registration office for migrants with his mother and two siblings.

He strangled the child the following morning when he wouldn’t stop crying

Berlin senior prosecutor Michael von Hagen said the suspect had admitted to taking Mohamed to his flat and sexually abusing him. He strangled the child the following morning when he wouldn’t stop crying.

Heinrich Junker, chief prosecutor for the eastern state of Brandenburg, said the man had also confessed to having abducted and killed Elias.

The suspect did not give further details about Elias’ death but told police he had buried the child's body and gave them a sketch of its location. German media reported that police were also investigating whether the man may be linked to the disappearance of the five-year-old girl Inga from the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt who has been missing since May.

Police said on Thursday there were no indications that the suspect, who comes from Brandenburg state, had links to any far-right movement or contact with xenophobic groups.