Five Israelis detained in Cyprus after British woman accuses them of rape

At least five Israeli citizens have been arrested after a 20-year-old woman said she was raped in Ayia Napa, authorities have said.

A law enforcement official said five alleged perpetrators, three of whom are 19 and the others 20, are being held in police custody for eight days while an investigation takes place.

But the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it received a report that six had been arrested in connection with the crime – no reason was given for the discrepancy in the number of arrests.

The ministry said in a statement that it is in touch with both Cypriot authorities and the families of the detained Israelis.

The UK Foreign Office said it was supporting a British woman in Cyprus.

In 2019, a British student was stuck on the Mediterranean island for almost five months after claiming she was raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room in Ayia Napa.

She retracted her statement and was convicted of making up gang rape claims.

The then-19-year-old, who was not named publicly, spent about a month in prison before being granted bail.

She was handed a four-month jail term, suspended for three years, and returned to the UK.

In a 2020 interview with ITV News, the young woman said she was adamant her story was true.