Colombian police foil apparent kidnapping of Israeli tourist lured by Tinder date
Police say woman tricked victim into getting in car with her alleged accomplices, who beat and robbed him; police stop vehicle at roadblock, rescue Israeli and arrest 3
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
An Israeli tourist in Colombia was rescued by police from an alleged kidnapping attempt after meeting a woman he met on the Tinder dating app.
Colombian police said that the 36-year-old met Friday with the woman at a restaurant in the city of Medellin. After that, the Israeli man went with her outside, where he believed they would wait for a taxi.
Instead, the woman’s alleged male accomplices pulled up in a car. The tourist followed the woman into the vehicle, where he was then beaten and taken by force, according to police.
Police said they became aware of the incident after receiving a report of dangerous driving. They managed to stop the vehicle at a roadblock, where the Israeli emerged from the rear seat and told them he had been beaten and robbed.
Police arrested the three other men in the vehicle, aged 21, 24, and 26. The whereabouts of the woman was unclear.
The Israeli was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. There was no word on his condition.
Police said that the vehicle’s license plates matched those in the suspected murder of Alexander Mackenzie, a Swedish tourist who was found dead earlier this year.
The Times of Israel Community.