Cyprus police dispute hotel child snatch reports
Cypriot police have denied reports of an attempted child snatch at a Protaras hotel earlier this week.
They have accused British newspapers of hyping up the story and claimed no children were at risk.
Thomas Cook earlier confirmed that it had moved around 50 clients from the Anastasia Beach Hotel because of concerns about the safety of their children.
Scotland’s Daily Record had reported that on Tuesday night a ‘gang’ of three Romanians tried to abduct three children from outside the hotel and that hotel guests had seen them ‘stalking’ children for the past week, filming them around the pool and taking pictures.
Based on interviews with guests at the hotel, the newspaper reported that a holidaymaker grabbed a man and a woman as he saw them trying to lure the children, all aged under 10, into a vehicle and that another man, the driver, had fled from the scene.
But police in Cyprus are now claiming the incident has been blown out of proportion and have issued a statement on their Facebook page.
The statement says a 19-year-old man from Bulgaria had been arrested over claims by holidaymakers that he had been filming their children and was trying to abduct them.
The man was questioned, his phone and house were searched, and he has since been released while police take further statements, police said.
Police deputy spokesperson Nikoletta Tyrimou told the Cyprus Mail the investigation was ongoing but it ‘did not happen the way it was reported in the press’.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "The safety and welfare of our customers is always our first priority and upon hearing about the alleged incident, we immediately deployed our experienced resort team to the property to provide those customers in residence with individual support.
"On request, we assisted 16 customer bookings (around 50 guests) who wished to move to an alternative hotel and two families who travelled back to the UK early.
"Although there are conflicting reports as to what exactly occurred at the property, we would like to reassure all customers that we take all allegations incredibly seriously and we are continuing to work closely with our customers in resort and the local authorities.
"Any customers with concerns about future holidays at this hotel are asked to contact us directly so that we can deal with them personally and directly."
Thomas Cook added that it continues to offer holidays to the Anastasia Beach Hotel and to Cyprus.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026