A 46-year-old Israeli man has been arrested for an alleged kidnapping in Venice after holding a currency exchange office employee hostage over what he perceived as a bad rate, multiple reports say.

The man was trying to exchange $100 into euros, but was unhappy with the amount of money he got back, CNN, Il Gazzettino, and The Times of Israel reported, citing police.

He tried to get the office to return his $100 and, in order to force that, he barricaded himself in the building, lowered the shutters, and held a female employee inside her booth, the outlets reported.

Police arrested him and he was not given his money back, CNN reported.

Venice has struggled with multiple tourist-related misdemeanors in recent years.

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An Israeli tourist in Venice took a currency exchange employee hostage because he was unhappy with his exchange rate, multiple reports say, citing Italian police.

The 46-year-old man was arrested for an alleged kidnapping after he took hostage the female employee and barricaded himself inside the currency exchange office after receiving what he deemed a bad exchange rate, CNN and The Times of Israel reported, citing a police statement.

He was arrested on Tuesday, Italy's regional Il Gazzettino newspaper reported.

The Israeli had been in Venice for several days at the time of the incident, and was trying to exchange $100 into euros at an exchange office in the Rialto area, CNN and Il Gazzettino reported.

But he was dissatisfied with the amount of euros he got in exchange, and asked to cancel the transaction so he could get his $100 back, the outlets said.

Gondola at the Rialto bridge with evening light in Venice, Italy Mapics/Shutterstock

In an effort to force the return, the Israeli barricaded himself inside the exchange office, lowered the shutters, and locked a female employee inside her booth for half an hour, CNN and Il Gazzettino reported, citing the Venice police.

The woman, who was "dismayed and frightened," immediately called the police, CNN reported. Upon arrival the officers opened the shutters, freed the woman, and arrested the tourist, Il Gazzettino reported.

He was not given his money back, CNN reported.

Read more: Disappointing photos show what Venice looks like in real life, from extreme overcrowding and devastating floods to pollution from cruise ships

Protests holding signs saying "no big ships" in Italian protest in Venice's St Mark's Square. Getty Images

Venice has struggled under the weight of its booming tourist industry in recent years, with numerous incidents involving misbehaving visitors:

Two Czech tourists were fined around 3,000 euros ($3,320) each after they were caught skinny-dipping near St Mark's Square last month, CNN reported.

A 66,000-tonne cruise ship crashed into a dock and collided with a smaller tourist vessel near the Giudecca canal in June, fueling locals' calls for restrictions on cruise ships from entering the city's canals.

Two German tourists were fined a total of 950 euros ($1,060) for making coffee on the steps of the Rialto Bridge.

Local businesses in Venice have also been criticized for discriminating against tourists. In 2018, a local restaurant charged four Japanese tourists $1,350 for four steaks, some fried fish, and mineral water.

The overcharge gained so much international reaction that the mayor had to intervene, and the restaurant was later fined 14,000 euros ($17,500).