Filenews 7 October 2024
Verbal threats from three persons were allegedly received by a mobile photo-tagging camera operator today at dawn in Larnaka.
According to the Police 45 minutes after midnight today, a driver of a mobile camera photo-tagging car, which was parked at Kyprianou Spyrou Avenue in Larnaca, reported that he received verbal threats from three citizens.
Members of the Police went to the spot, but the three citizens who were pedestrians managed to drive away.
The operator of the mobile photo-tagging camera told police that the age of the three people was between 30 and 40 years old.
According to what the operator reported, the three people approached him at a distance of 4-5 meters and threatened him that if he did not leave they would damage him.
Members of the Police provided cover with patrol throughout the night and protection to the driver of the mobile photo-tagging camera.
The complainant went and gave a statement to the Larnaka Police Headquarters.
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Damage to windows, classrooms and walls of the Regional High School of Kition was caused yesterday by unknown persons, who entered the area. The attackers wrote group slogans on the walls, even drawing swastikas. It is a school that was chosen to accommodate, if necessary, nationals of foreign countries removed from Lebanon. Preparations had been made in the closed classroom of the school, which was damaged. It is noted that the decision to use the school had caused some reactions and it is being investigated whether the malicious damage is related to it.
As the president of the School Board of the area, Damianos Minas, told Filenews, windows were broken in the school and fan slogans were written on several walls in the multiple hall.
"The damage mainly concerns the windows of the school, we informed the police and started investigations. We will immediately begin repairing the damage," he said. He added that the damage was noticed yesterday at 7 p.m.
Asked to answer about the parents' reactions regarding the requisition of the school for evacuation purposes, he said that this is a decision of the competent Ministries and not of the School Board. "We were informed last week and the Civil Defence took over on Friday to prepare the school room."
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Cannabis and counterfeit banknotes were in the possession of a young food distributor in Limassol!
Specifically, the incident took place on Sunday morning, when at around 11:25 members of the Limassol Anti-Drug Service spotted the young foreign food delivery man sitting in an apartment storage room on the ground floor of an apartment building. The door of the warehouse was open and the men found the man holding and smoking a roll-your-own cigarette, which was found to contain a quantity of cannabis mixed with manufactured tobacco.
He was arrested for a flagrant offence while a crusher with traces of cannabis was found and picked up next to him.
Subsequently, in a search carried out with his written consent on his moped that was in the area, six pieces of aluminium paper were found under the seat, in a case, on which the notes of €5, €10, €20, €100, €200 and €500 were embossed.
In a body search, four €50 notes were found in the wallet he was holding, which were found to be counterfeits since they bore the same number.
He was taken to the offices of the YKAN Limassol where, under questioning, he made a voluntary statement in which he admitted that the drugs found were his own and he had them for his own use.
At around 16:45 he was charged in writing in the drug case and was released from detention and re-arrested at the same time by the ICF of Limassol for the offences investigated by the ICF regarding banknotes.
Both the YKAN Limassol and the ICF continue the examinations.
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The ICF of Limassol proceeded to the arrest of two persons aged 21 and 19 in connection with a case of robbery and causing grievous bodily harm, assault and causing actual bodily harm and offences in violation of the Law on Racism.
The two suspects were detained and are expected to be brought before the Limassol District Court on Monday morning for a request for their detention.
According to the facts of the case, the incident took place on Saturday night when around 23:30 a tip was received on Melina Mercouris Street in Polemidia near the intersection of traffic lights with Paphos Street, about 15 persons attacked and robbed two persons and then fled. The two complaining foreigners went to Limassol General Hospital where they received medical treatment. Members of the ICF of Limassol also went there where they located the two complainants.
The two complainants, as they reported orally, a short time earlier and while they were on Melina Mercouris Street in Kato Polemidia and were heading to their home, about 15 unknown young persons stopped them and after aggressively stealing the amount of €300 and a mobile phone of unknown value.
The medical examination of the two foreign examinations revealed that one had a fractured nose while the second had bruises and abrasions on various parts of his body and was detained for further hospitalization.
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A five-car rampage took place on Sunday night in Larnaca
Specifically, members of the Police were called around 9 last night to go to a scene of a road collision in an area of Larnaka, in which a total of five cars were involved.
According to the evidence under consideration, the road collision was caused when a 57-year-old driver, under circumstances that are being investigated, collided with the rear of a parked vehicle.
Collisions with three more vehicles followed, resulting in the 57-year-old and two other persons being transported by ambulance to Larnaka General Hospital.
The two people were discharged after receiving first aid, while the 57-year-old, who suffered a fractured arm, was detained for further hospitalization.
The 57-year-old driver was given a breathalyzer test, with a final reading of 145μg instead of 22μg g.
The Larnaka Traffic Police continues the examinations.
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Police arrested a 26-year-old man on Sunday, as part of an investigation into a case involving the facilitation of illegal entry, transit and stay of third-country nationals in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and migrant smuggling.
According to the evidence under investigation, the 26-year-old allegedly arranged for a fee, on 02/06/2024, the transfer of 13 migrants, by boat, from Turkey to the occupied areas and then to the free areas.
A judicial arrest warrant was issued against the 26-year-old, under which he was arrested today at dawn, and then brought before the Nicosia District Court, where a three-day detention order was secured. The ICF of Morphou continues the examinations.
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The complaint against two Israeli women who were arrested and brought to justice on Sunday morning for the offenses of indecent act, concern and public insult, during a protest that took place on Saturday afternoon (5/10), on Anexartisias Street, seems to have a political connotation.
The case is brought to light by Philenews, citing the facts presented before the Limassol Court, where a marathon detention process of the two women took place. The two suspects were represented by the lawyer, Theodoros Katsikidis, who raised an objection to the investigators' request, stressing, among other things, the inability of the police to locate a translator from Greek to Hebrew and vice versa, so that statements could be taken from the two women in time. He also spoke of the inaction of the authorities in investigating the offences they face.
The Court, after hearing both sides, adjourned and after four hours finally ruled that the request for detention for a period of one day, until the completion of the police examinations, was justified.
The two suspects were scheduled to fly back to Israel on Tuesday evening.
According to the facts presented to the court, around 16:00 yesterday afternoon (5/10) at the Administration Square on Anexartisias Street, a Palestinian protest event took place concerning the issue of "75 + 1 years of Genocide". During the event and around 17:30, AKEL MP Giorgos Koukoumas, who was at the event, noticed a woman entering the crowd, gesticulating, insulting and shouting at the crowd and the speakers, causing a disturbance.
Citizens who took part in the event complained to members of the Police, who were at the scene and pointed out the 58-year-old suspect. Members of the Police intervened and removed the suspect from the scene.
During the above time, a member of the Police noticed citizens taking part in the event turning against a young woman. Immediately a member of the Force removed the girl from the spot to avoid unpleasant situations.
The police officer returned to the place where citizens reported to him that the young woman insulted them and made obscene gestures.
The member of the Force located the young girl who was in a store and asked her for her details. A check found that she is the daughter of the first suspect, aged 24.
According to Filenews, the two suspects arrived in Cyprus on October 1, with their family, and are staying in a hotel in Limassol. It is worth mentioning that although both suspects were arrested last night, no Hebrew interpreter had been found to date in order to obtain an interrogation statement. About 6 more statements are expected to be taken in the case.
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The Pafos District Court ordered the detention of the 26-year-old alleged accomplice of the escaped life imprisoner on Monday, until the start of the trial of the case by the Pafos Permanent Assize Court, which will meet on October 22, 2024. Last Friday, when the decision was made to refer him to the Assize Court, the suspect's lawyer had requested that his client be released pending trial.
The 26-year-old faces the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, the offence of assisting the escape of a person in lawful custody, and the offence of disobeying lawful orders.
The Judge of the Pafos District Court, regarding the application for detention of the 26-year-old in relation to the possibility of not appearing in Court and the risk of absconding from justice, decided to reject it as the risk of not appearing at the Court at the next hearing was not demonstrated.
On the other hand, with regard to the risk of re-committing other offences and the Prosecution's request to remain on trial on that ground, the Court decided that on the basis that the accused was outside the Central Prison on parole (parole), it held that the danger was visible because of the defendant's previous convictions and that according to the alleged offences he was out of the prison on parole.
On Friday, the 26-year-old's lawyer, Elias Satolias, had filed an objection, telling the court that his client is innocent until proven involvement in the offences he faces. Specifically, he had mentioned that his 26-year-old client went to Choletria to pick up a relative of the lifesaver and not himself. He added that the charges against him are being tried at the level of the District Court and not before the Assize Court and had requested that his client be released until his referral to the Assize Court on October 22.
He said he was a person who had been convicted in the past and who had close ties to democracy. He had even asked the Court to be released on the conditions that he sign a creditworthy guarantor, hand over his travel documents, and visit the nearest police station every day to register his presence.
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Cyprus Mail
A former Russian deputy defence minister arrested in April for bribery is facing new charges of embezzling more than 3.2 billion roubles ($33.4 million), sent to the accounts of companies in Hong Kong and Cyprus, state news agency TASS reported on Monday.
The charges against Timur Ivanov involve two instances of embezzlement, TASS reported. One involved the transfer of over 3 billion roubles from the Interkommerts Bank to the accounts of companies in Hong Kong and Cyprus.
The other concerned the purchase – at the price of some 200 million roubles – of two vessels for the Kerch Strait ferry line, which connects southern Russia to Russian-annexed Crimea.
TASS said Ivanov denies the charges.
The criminal investigation into the new accusations has concluded and Ivanov faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty, the news agency said.
Ivanov, 49, faces a separate criminal trial for bribe-taking, which can carry up to 15 years in prison.
He served as a deputy defence minister since 2016, where he was in charge of property management, housing, construction and mortgages.
Ivanov’s initial arrest triggered a clampdown on high-level corruption in the defence ministry in which at least a dozen officials have been detained and charged this year.
All of the officials had served under former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was replaced by economist Andrei Belousov in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year.
Analysts have suggested the investigation into Ivanov – one of Shoigu’s 12 deputies – represented a push by a rival ‘clan’ seeking to dilute the defence minister’s power and gain wealth and influence.
