12 Israelis held in Cyprus on suspicion of raping British tourist

Woman tells police that suspects, some of them reportedly minors, raped her Tuesday night in resort town of Ayia Napa

By ToI Staff 17 July 2019, 6:16 pm 6 Edit

The resort town of Ayia Napa in southeastern Cyprus. (Wikipedia/Vitaly Lischenko/CC BY-SA)

Twelve Israeli tourists, some or all of them reportedly minors, were under arrest Wednesday in Cyprus on suspicion of raping a British tourist in a hotel in the southeastern resort town of Ayia Napa.

The 19-year-old British woman filed a complaint at a local police station on Wednesday morning saying she was gang-raped by the group of Israeli teens the previous night.

Police in Ayia Napa and neighboring Paralimni detained the Israelis at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

The suspects, some of them reportedly aged 16 and 17, are due in court for a remand hearing on Thursday, according to local media. The British woman is undergoing medical checks to confirm her account, reports said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the case, and that Cypriot law enforcement had allowed Israeli diplomats access to the suspects.

“The Israeli consul in Nicosia, Yossi Wurmbrand, is following developments and is in contact with the detainees. Their families have been updated,” the ministry said in a statement.