Two British men have been arrested in Spain after a shocking video emerged of them taunting the devastated family of missing teenager Jay Slater. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished on Monday morning after attending a music festival on the island of Tenerife.
The arrests came after a clip circulated online showing one of the men, Ayub Qassim, laughing and saying "cry me a river" in response to the family's desperate pleas for information. The other man involved has been named locally as an unnamed friend.
A Chilling Taunt and a Swift Arrest
In the now-deleted video, Qassim is seen outside the rented Airbnb cottage in the remote village of Masca where Jay was last seen. He callously gestures towards the mountainous area where the search is focused, adding fuel to the family's agony.
Spanish Guardia Civil moved quickly to detain the two individuals. While they were initially held on suspicion of theft, the investigation has now widened to include their potential role in Jay's disappearance. Both men have since been released from custody but remain under investigation and are prohibited from leaving Tenerife.
The Last Known Movements
Jay was last heard from in the early hours of Monday morning. He had phoned a friend to say he was lost, dehydrated, and had only 1% battery on his phone after missing a bus and attempting to walk back to his accommodation. His final location was pinpointed to the harsh and remote Rural de Teno park, a vast and treacherous landscape.
The two arrested men were the last people to see Jay alive after giving him a lift back to their rented holiday home. The owner of the property confirmed that Jay was "not in a bad way" when he arrived and that he left the next morning of his own accord.
A Family's Agony and a Massive Search
Jay's mother, Debbie Duncan, along with his brother and friends, have flown out to Tenerife to aid in the search. The family has been subjected to what they describe as "vile trolling" and false rumours online, compounding their unimaginable distress.
A massive search operation involving helicopters, sniffer dogs, and mountain rescue teams has been underway for five days. Despite scouring the unforgiving terrain, the search has yet to yield any significant clues as to Jay's whereabouts.
