Attempted abductions of British children in Cyprus

[AnyoneForTennis]

Just read it on sky news but it wasn't a top news story

Anastacia Beach Hotel. Sounds very scary if true. Thank goodness someone was vigilant and stopped it. But a cover up by police? Weird

[MrsFrankieHeck]

I lived in Cyprus for many years and can believe that the police would cover this up. The level of corruption there is outrageous.

[Buttercupsandaisies]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3130796/Horrified-father-tells-toddler-daughter-arms-suspected-kidnapper-Cypriot-resort-British-tourists-week-foiled-alleged-abduction.html

[Buttercupsandaisies]

Whilst I understand the power of mass hysteria, I don't see why people are quick to dismiss everything so freely.

How do people explain 8 or so men/women dressing up in staff uniforms, playing with the kids etc all week and non of them work there. The hotel confirmed they went staff as if to allay fears but surely that's more worrying!!!

So they checked the phone of one man but there were suspected to be 8 or so men and women involved so one phone and background check does surely not dismiss!

The hotel said they don't work there and aren't guests so why then were they there?

Seems a lot unexplained to me plus one father said he saw footage of his kids on the phone of one person?

If you google there was a similar incident last year, same hotel, UK family where two year old missing for 40 mins and found with European woman down the road who claimed she was handing child in when confronted. Perhaps she'd only just stumbled across her but 40 mins is a long time for a two year old to go unnoticed out and about alone.

In MM case the police knew pedophiles gangs etc were operating around area so it's a line in that enquiry. Jeremy Vargas is a Spanish boy who went missing from his Nan's garden in gran canaria same year as MM and hasn't been found. Again suspected due to gangs in area.

The Cyprus case may not be true but can't believe people being so dismissive as it's certainly does happen.

[AdventureBe]

I tend to agree with madwoman and I'm married to a ex squaddie.

It's interesting that the police have said there's no evidence of any abduction plot, despite such convincing witnesses. Don't witness reports count as evidence?

Thomas Cook will have moved the families because they were kicking up a fuss and because it will be easy at this time of year with the resort half empty. Doesn't mean they think there's any truth in it

[muminhants1]

It all sounds like mass hysteria to me. Presumably other nationalities holiday in Cyprus yet only the British tourists decided to form a lynch mob?

[madwomanbackintheattic]

Ohhhhhhhhhh. He was in the Armyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. He was Trained. Trained, I tell you. To within an inch of his life. He would Know.

Presumably, he was also trained not to leave members of his unit unattended (particularly the two year old ones).

What a knobber.

Xenophobic twat that has been trained to view furriners as Other.

[AgentProvocateur]

I too think it's mass hysteria bollocks v

[DoughDoe]

"If nothing were amiss Thomson would not have relocated 80 families"

Thomson haven't moved ANY families.

It was Thomas Cook. Which if you might recall within the last month was subjected to very negative press coverage over a CO death on Corfu.

They are right to be ultra-cautious, in view of that, but it doesn't mean there was anything amiss.

[Wantsunshine]

If nothing were amiss Thomson would not have relocated 80 families

[GoodToesNotSoGoodToes]

You mean knobs?

[DoughDoe]

Yeah chavs. People that go on holiday to a foreign country and accuse locals of looking at them funny and having nasty foreign food.

[GoodToesNotSoGoodToes]

Chavs?

[DoughDoe]

Bulgaria? I mean Cyprus.

Although I'm sure Bulgaria is just as bad

[DoughDoe]

My first thought was to avoid Bulgaria to keep away from British chavs

[lordsandladies]

Nope read more and still think without way more detail from someone who actually SAW it its bullshit.

[Icimoi]

The reports I've seen strongly suggest this is dimply a case of mass hysteria.

[Nishky]

I read they were in the pool. Whilst dressed as waiters presumably. Which would have made them easier to spot.

[JoyceDivision]

Have you listened to the father ion the radio being interviewed?

He is bloody amazing and gave me goosebumps.. he was describing what activity wasmaking him and other holiday makers suspicious, and when teh interviewer asked him if he could be mistaking things he replied 'I was in the army for 12 years and we were trained to spot abnormal activity. This was abnormal. This is what we were trained to spot..' He was bloody fab. He knew there was something odd and could use his careerand instinctstomake a measured judgement.

[AuntieStella]

Perhaps she'd only just spotted he was alone?

The version I heard in the news about the current 'incident' is that no attempted abduction had taken place. So perhaps a similar lost child confusion and panic?

[AnyoneForTennis]

Well why didn't the woman take her to reception or raise the alarm?

[AssembleTheMinions]

A man said he lost sight of his two year old last year and after searching for 40 minutes, saw her with an Eastern Europe woman who said she saw her wandering around on her own. Now this sounds far more plausible to me, surely if the woman was kidnapping the child they would be far far away in 40 mins and not still in the hotel?

[AnyoneForTennis]

It's mainly Thomas Cook holidaymakers.

[lordsandladies]

pop I've heard the exact same story about a tesco near us

I don't believe there has to be truth in it for people to be moved. Get enough of a mob together believing some crap and the operator would take action to keep the peace even if it was based on rumour and Chinese whispers.

[popalot]

It made me think of when I lived abroad there was a sort of urban myth about children who were found in the local supermarket toilet with a romanian woman having their blonde heads shaved/coloured. This story reared it's head every year or so. I have no idea whether the original story was true or not, but I took it with a large pinch of salt every time I heard it again like it had just happened and treated it like an urban myth. There was a lot of fear of romanian gypsies kidnapping children that might have been born out of xenophobia. I wonder if this is a similar thing.

[Damnautocorrect]

It's all very strange isn't it. Some have gone home, some moved. I wouldn't stay if it's true. Apparently one was an ex employee and the others were dressed as waiters.
I can understand the hotel attitude but the police also saying it's fine.