A group of Israeli tourists have been accused of attempting to rape a pair of Finnish women at a hotel in Phuket, Thailand, Thai and Russian media reported on Saturday.
However, Thai media later reported that two German nationals and a Turkish national were responsible after an investigation by Patong Police.
The police station reported an incident involving the assault of a foreign man on Saturday at 5:37 a.m. local time. The incident occurred near the Neptune Hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong, Kathu District, Phuket.
The women were reportedly rescued from the attack by a Russian man named 44-year-old Alexander Belinsky, who was physically assaulted and later hospitalized by the three men. He is currently receiving treatment at Patong Hospital.
The Finnish women told police that they were in their room when three Israeli men barged in and tried to assault them. Belinsky was reportedly walking past the room when he noticed the alleged ongoing attack and intervened.
Identifying the suspects
The women alleged that during the morning of the incident, the men had followed them around the Patong Beach area and later to the hotel, according to Russian state media RIA.
After the police had investigated the incident, they went to the Lacaza Hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong, where the suspects were confirmed to be staying.
The suspects were identified as Aksu Cemre Can, 30, Aksu Ali Cem, 22, and Yanyana Salman, 23. During questioning, the three admitted to the altercation, according to Thai media. They claimed they were only accompanying a Finnish woman back to her hotel after a night out when the Russian man, who said he was her boyfriend, confronted them.