Israeli said arrested in Thailand after Finnish tourist alleges sexual assault
Man, 36, reportedly stopped at Phuket Airport hours after warrant issued over complaint from 19-year-old, who said he fondled and kissed her while drinking on Ko Samui beach
An Israeli man was reportedly arrested while trying to leave Thailand late Monday after being accused of sexually assaulting a Finnish teen on a popular tourist island.
The man, identified as a 36-year-old Israeli national, was stopped at Phuket Airport hours after authorities in Ko Samui issued a warrant for his arrest, following a complaint filed by the 19-year-old Finn a day earlier, the Khao Sod news site reported.
According to the outlet, citing local police, the Finnish woman told police early Sunday morning that she had been out drinking with friends from Denmark on Saturday night at Chaweng Beach in Bo Phut, and had later been joined by the suspect, who was unknown to her.
According to the woman, the assault occurred when she and the suspect were alone on the beach, at which point he kissed and fondled her against her wishes, including touching her private parts, while ignoring her pleas to stop.
The woman, who admitted being intoxicated, said she was eventually able to rejoin her friends at the bar, and after recounting what happened, went to a local police station to file a report.
A court issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest on Monday after police identified the suspect as an Israeli national by comparing images from an immigration database with closed circuit television footage and confirming his identity with the alleged victim, Khao Sod reported.
The man was arrested later Monday on rape charges. A photo published by the Thai news outlet showed the suspect, wearing a skullcap, speaking to police and unidentified Thai officials next to the entrance to the airport. The outlet earlier published a blurred passport photo in which stamps could be seen identifying the document as Israeli-issued.
The details could not be immediately confirmed with Thai authorities. Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment.
Monday also saw a district court in Cyprus clear five Israelis accused of gang raping a 20-year old British tourist in September 2023, freeing the residents of the Arab Israeli town of Majd al-Krum after a year and a half in prison.
The defendants confirmed there had been a sexual encounter, but insisted it had been consensual. The judges acquitted them over a series of inconsistencies in the complainant’s version of events.
The Times of Israel Community.