Airbnb bashed on Twitter after horror stories of knife attacks and hidden cameras

Airbnb is trending on Twitter, and not in a good way, as a spate of horror stories got users talking about the platform for rental.

The women were staying at an Airbnb when their host allegedly assaulted them with a knife.
The women were staying at an Airbnb when their host allegedly assaulted them with a knife.  © 123rf/ sharafmaksumov

First, there's the case of a 32-year-old man charged with aggravated assault after reportedly attacking two women who were renting his suite in Vancouver.

Saad Mustafa, the man's neighbor who witnessed the crime, told Global News that he heard screams and yelling at around 3 AM on May 27.

Saad decided to find out what was going on, after he heard his neighbor he'd known for six years say: "Why did you push my cat," and banging on the wall.

He opened his apartment door to a bloody scene in the hallway.

"One young lady, she appeared to have a stab wound in the neck or neck area. She was on the floor lying on her back and she was bleeding very, very badly," he said. "There was another young lady who was pinned to the wall and being threatened by a knife."

Saad eventually scared the man off and stayed with the woman with the neck wound until the paramedics and police arrived.

"I personally had a very serious concern that she would not survive," he said, but both victims made it through the ordeal.

More Airbnb horror stories

The Airbnb host, Arvin Pasha has been arrested and charged with assault.
The Airbnb host, Arvin Pasha has been arrested and charged with assault.  © 123rf/ zeferli

Pasha certainly won't be doing is renting out any more rooms on Airbnb. According to a statement from the company, "The host has been removed from our platform, and we stand ready to support the Vancouver Police Services in their investigation."

The company also noted that these kinds of incidents are very rare and insisted that it always supports the guests: "In this case, that has included a full refund as well as support with flights and other expenses."

Despite the company's statement, Airbnb is trending on Twitter – and not in a good way. Coupled with the story of a woman who said she found more than 10 cameras in her Airbnb rental in Philadelphia, many users said they were done with the platform altogether.

"airbnb lost me, im not starting off my vacation looking for hidden camera's man foh lol," one hugely popular tweet read.

Cover photo: 123rf/ sharafmaksumov

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