Filenews 11 February 2026 - by Natasa Christoforou
The two shootings outside a busy fast food restaurant on Grigori Afxentiou Avenue, next to the Police Headquarters, which froze the center of Larnaca at 3 pm on Saturday, January 17, as well as dozens of videos of brutal torture of persons and demonstration of money, allegedly coming from the provision of "protection", were three of the fatal mistakes of organized crime. Mistakes that made known a common secret in Larnaca: The merciless war between two rival factions for the control of "protection", which led to a barrage of arrests by the Larnaca Police Department. So far, five persons alleged to be members of one group and five persons alleged to be members of the other are on trial, while in the context of the shooting case, two businessmen, 43 and 47 years old, were arrested, who are accused of interfering in a judicial process, after allegedly trying to persuade the complainant to change his testimony. The two were also referred to trial and are, on condition, free.
The two businessmen became targets of criminal actions last summer and the investigation of their cases brought chain developments. At 11 am on July 31, an attempted murder was committed against the 47-year-old in the Industrial Area of Dromolaxia by a person riding a scooter, who fired many shots, but failed to hit the target who was on a bicycle. For this case, a 22-year-old contracted soldier of the National Guard was arrested last November, who was referred to trial, after allegedly linking genetic material to the scene of the attempt. In fact, according to the Police, videos were found on his mobile phones showing that he was watching the target even after the assassination attempt. However, not only that was found. 19 other videos led last January to 4 more arrests of Greek Cypriots, 42, 31, 29 and 29 years old respectively, who are alleged to be members of a well-structured criminal group, which was engaged in "providing" protection. All have been brought to trial on very serious charges. The investigation into this group lasted many months and was carried out in complete secrecy by the TAE of Larnaca, which gave special importance to financial audits. They demonstrated, according to what was said in Court, that the assets of most of the defendants are not in line with their income.
According to the Police, the videos depict various incidents from 2023-2025, in which the 22-year-old allegedly shows large sums of money. In one of them, in fact, he seems to show off money from the collection of a specific nightclub in Mackenzie.
In addition to SYOP, a "key" person in this case is the 42-year-old, whose environment became the target of criminal acts (arson of vehicles) a few months ago. The defendant is alleged to be the head of a strike team and the person to whom the money ended up. The Police continue to investigate whether this group operated on the orders of other persons.
The criminal act against the second businessman was committed in the early hours of August 14, 2025, when three people got out of a car on the coastal road of Pyla, shot at a security guard and then set fire to four vehicles of the company he owns. A few days later, the Larnaca Police Department arrested five Syrians, who were brought to trial. He is a 44-year-old convict in the Central Prison, who is alleged to be the person who gave orders for the criminal act and four persons aged 17, 17, 23 and 27. According to police sources, so far it has not been clarified the motive of this group and whether it is an offshoot of the recorded map of organized crime in Larnaca.
The investigations into this case, however, also led to a hiding place in Denia, in which weapons were found and the largest amount of methamphetamine (over 2 kg), which was found last year in Cyprus. It is noted that at some point, as part of the investigations, a 29-year-old Greek Cypriot, well known to the authorities, entered the frame, since he is a person who had been convicted of a much-publicized case and then entered the witness protection program. Along the way, two people from his personal environment were murdered in cold blood, while he was judged to be an unreliable witness. On the mobile phone of the specific person, according to the Police, videos from the closed circuit surveillance of the Larnaca Court of the transport of the 44-year-old convict and other persons were found. According to police sources, this case is expected to be registered before a Court.
The torture and the "key" person of the second team
Since last Saturday, public opinion has been stunned by what was brought to light, according to the Police, by the mobile phone of the 48-year-old convict in the shooting case, but also for the beating of a citizen in Pyla, a few hours earlier. These are 25 horrific videos, which allegedly record the brutal torture of 7 people, who are abused with weapons, belts and other objects, with some appearing to bleed and begging, according to what was said in court. The victims, four of whom have been identified, were either "interrogated" to confess to alleged criminal acts, or abused to pay money. A 27-year-old Palestinian is also in custody for the case, while a 26-year-old foreigner is also wanted, who is also said to be involved in the shooting case. All are suspected of serious crimes related to torture, for which more arrests are expected.
The 48-year-old, originally from Syria, holder of Cypriot citizenship, is a "key" person for the alleged action of the second criminal group. He is alleged to be the person who recruited people of Arab origin, who acted as a task force for various criminal acts, which are also related to the control of "protection". He is a marked person, who has served many years of prison sentences and before he was arrested for the shooting case he was free, on parole, since another criminal case was pending against him before the Court. The person in question had been injured during the clash that preceded the shooting in the center of Larnaca, which was related, according to the Police, to a demand for money from a businessman for "protection" purposes. Last summer his car was set on fire, while he also speaks of a plan to murder him.
Meanwhile, more than 3.000 photos and videos found on his two mobile phones are under the microscope. Police investigations continue to clarify whether, in some of the criminal actions, the 48-year-old acted on the orders of other persons.
The tip of the iceberg is Larnaca
If there is one thing that the incredible incident of January 17, on the busiest street of Larnaca, emphatically demonstrated, it is the audacity of organized crime and the terrifying possibility of causing civilian losses. The most worrying thing is that Larnaca is just the tip of the iceberg of organized crime activity. The big game is played in other cities, which have attracted the attention of international mafia groups, due to the huge sums of money being traded.
The only hope is to implement what the Minister of Justice announced for the fight against organized crime, which will be judged by the result.
