Thai authoritieshave arrested an Israeli man accused of sexually assaulting a Finnish tourist on the island of Koh Samui, after identifying him through security footage and immigration records. Police apprehended the suspect at Phuket Airport as he attempted to leave the country.
Police in Surat Thani province said the 19-year-old Finnish woman filed a complaint at theBo Phut police stationat around 3:30 a.m. on March 30. She reported that the alleged assault occurred a few hours earlier, around 11:30 p.m. on March 29, after she had been at a local bar with two Danish friends.
According to police, the woman said she encountered two unfamiliar men at the bar. At one point, she went to the restroom and came across one of the men near the entrance. She told authorities she was under the influence of alcohol and could not clearly recall the sequence of events.
Later, the group walked along the beach outside the bar. Her friends eventually returned to the bar, leaving her alone with the suspect. While sitting on a chair on the beach, the man allegedly approached her, kissed her and touched her without her consent. She told police she was in shock, asked him to stop, but he continued until he was satisfied and then walked back to the bar.
The woman remained on the beach briefly before returning to tell her friends and ask them to accompany her to the police station, where she filed a formal complaint.
Investigators reviewed security footage from the bar and identified the suspect as a 36-year-old Israeli national. After matching his image with immigration records, police summoned the woman to confirm his identity. Following her confirmation, an arrest warrant was issued on Monday.
Authorities located the suspect at Phuket Airport, where he was detained while attempting to leave the country. He is currently in Thai custody awaiting further legal proceedings.