Filenews 4 January 2026
A strange story of an arson attempt is being investigated by the Police in Paphos. A foreign resident of Tala tried tonight to set fire to his own vehicle, because he disagreed with a mechanic about the amount of repair.
According to the Police examinations, the owner of the vehicle took the car to a professional a few days ago for a mechanical problem he was facing. However, he disagreed with him about the amount of the repair, refusing to pay it.
Tonight and while the vehicle was parked in a part of the community, neighbours noticed a person trying to set fire to it. Their intervention prevented the act from being committed and the would-be arsonist left the scene. The Police were informed, members of which arrived at the scene which they cordoned off and began the examinations.
From the descriptions and testimonies of eyewitnesses, it emerged that the alleged arsonist was the owner of the vehicle himself, apparently wanting to "take revenge" for the mechanic's refusal to hand over the vehicle to him without being paid for the work he did.
The investigations continue, while an arrest warrant was issued against the owner of the vehicle to investigate the case.
The investigations continue, while an arrest warrant was issued against the owner of the vehicle to investigate the case.
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The Police arrested a 36-year-old man yesterday, to facilitate investigations into investigated cases of theft and illegal possession of property.
Specifically, in the context of an investigation into a case of theft of a power tool, committed in Limassol, on January 2, 2026, testimony emerged against the 36-year-old. An arrest warrant was obtained against him, under which he was arrested yesterday at noon.
The arrest of the 36-year-old was followed by a search of his home, where a number of watches and various power tools were found, including the tool, which was stolen in the above case. Two trailers were also found, which were found to have been reported to the Police as stolen.
The 36-year-old did not give satisfactory explanations as to how the above property was found in his possession, as a result of which he was re-arrested for the spontaneous offenses of illegal possession of property and theft. He was then taken into custody to facilitate investigations.
The Polemidia Police Station and the Limassol Minor Offenses Department continue the examinations.
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The dynamic and targeted preventive operations of the Police continued during last night with an enhanced presence in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, protecting citizens and ensuring public order.
As part of these operations, the Police proceeded to arrest a total of eight persons.
In Limassol, three persons were arrested for theft cases and one person for illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. In Paphos, one person was arrested for a case of arson and one person for a case of causing injury. Two persons were also arrested by members of ADE Larnaca and the Road Accident Prevention Unit, for driving under the influence of alcohol.
During the same night, 42 inspections of premises were also carried out, with the aim of preventing and suppressing delinquent behaviour, where nine complaints emerged regarding the operating licenses of the premises and regarding smoking in an indoor space.
As far as the road network is concerned, more than 600 checks were carried out, which resulted in 179 traffic complaints, while 36 persons were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
At the same time, as part of the investigation of traffic offenses, ten vehicles were detained for further examinations.
Operations continue in a broad, continuous and strengthened preventive plan of the Police, with increased police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action in all provinces, with the aim of preventing crime and strengthening the sense of security of citizens.
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Update regarding yesterday's post - Scenes of a movie unfolded on Saturday morning in the sea area off Ormidia, when a dangerous chase at sea ended in warning shots being fired and an attack with a knife and wood against members of the authorities. The incident led to the arrest of two wanted brothers, who are allegedly involved in the attempted murder of a 36-year-old Syrian in Limassol.
As stated by the Assistant Police Director of Limassol, Lefteris Kyriakou, "this morning, around 9:10, the Port and Maritime Police Service Officer received information from the British Bases Police that their boat was chasing a suspicious speedboat, in which two people were on board, who did not comply with signals for control".
According to Mr. Kyriakou, there was an assessment that the suspicious vessel might be involved in illegal activities, which is why the assistance of the Port Police was requested. A police boat of the Coast Guard, which was on patrol in the area, was immediately informed and headed for reinforcement.
"At 9:48, the police boat spotted both the pursued vessel and the British Bases vessel. Upon approach, the two occupants of the suspicious boat showed aggressive behaviour," he said. As he added, "at a point where the British Bases vessel approached the suspicious vessel, the operator attempted to injure a crew member with a knife, while the second occupant hit him with a stick."
Mr. Kyriakou noted that, after all the mild measures to end the pursuit were exhausted, "two warning shots were fired, as a result of which it was possible to immobilize the boat". Subsequently, the members of the British Bases Police proceeded to check the occupants, where it was found that they are the two wanted brothers involved in the case of attempted murder, which was committed on December 20 on Anexartisias Street in Limassol.
The two persons were escorted to Dhekelia and handed over to the authorities of the British Bases, where they were arrested for offenses committed within their area of jurisdiction. As stated by the Assistant Police Director of Limassol, it is expected that the Republic of Cyprus will be asked to surrender them, in order to execute the arrest warrants pending against them in the case of attempted murder.
