Pafos Live 11 March 2026
Officials of the Customs Department at Paphos Airport, after evaluating information, located a 34-year-old Greek Cypriot passenger before his departure to the United Kingdom, with his luggage containing a large amount of tobacco products, which did not bear the marking for the harmful nature of smoking in the Greek and Turkish languages, nor the safety feature and the unique traceability code, indications that they were duty-free.
Specifically, 50 boxes of 200 cigarettes each and tobacco packages for a rolled cigarette with a total weight of 10 kg were found in the passenger's luggage.
The passenger was arrested for flagrante delicto, while the luggage and its contents were confiscated.
On the same day, he was taken to the Paphos district court which issued a 2-day detention order. Today 10/3/2026 he was served with an indictment with the trial set for March 20, 2026.
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The Paphos District Court today sentenced a 41-year-old man to two years in prison, after finding him guilty of causing death due to reckless, reckless or dangerous behaviour.
Specifically, on 14/12/2025, the 41-year-old was involved in a fatal road collision in Paphos, in which a 23-year-old man lost his life.
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Filenews
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
As a result of the preventive policing operations, four persons were arrested for various offenses, including robbery, assault, theft, domestic violence, and impersonation, among others.
As part of these operations, during the night, 593 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 759 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 27 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency.
During traffic checks carried out, 359 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 11 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, six vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made, the 96 complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out. A vehicle driver was found positive in a preliminary test of driving under the influence of drugs. Ten driver checks were carried out for driving under the influence of drugs, while 61 vehicle driver checks were carried out for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Coordinated policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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The Limassol Police Department issued two arrest warrants against a man and a woman today, Tuesday (10/3), in relation to the two outbreaks of fire that broke out last Sunday in the community of Anogyra.
According to testimonies obtained by the investigators of the TAE Limassol, on the same day two outbreaks of fire broke out in the area. After evaluating the information and testimonies obtained, the authorities proceeded with a request for the issuance of arrest warrants.
Information from Filenews states that the two persons were reportedly seen moving away from a point in the area where the two outbreaks of the fire had occurred.
The fire in Anogyra, as the spokesman of the Fire Service, Andreas Kettis, had written in a post on platform X, broke out shortly after noon on Sunday and was extinguished in the bud by the local authority, with the assistance of the Fire Service. In fact, he said that the fires are malicious.
The first fire had broken out on Sunday morning in an area between the communities of Omodos and Mandria, causing the mobilization of the Fire Brigade. The fire started from a point near a rural road near an abandoned paddock. It burned about three hectares of wild vegetation in the Asprovouni area of the Omodos community.
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The die was cast for the fatal car accident last July in Aglantzia with the victim being a 20-year-old student from Agios Dometios. The Legal Service instructed the Police to file criminal charges against the driver involved with the indictment including serious charges.
According to information from Filenews, the case file was returned to the Legal Service again in February after it included an expert report on traffic accidents. Last Friday, the Legal Service forwarded the traffic accident file to the Police with instructions for the case to be registered before the Court and for specific charges to be brought against the driver concerning both the death of the 20-year-old and the traffic violations as a result of the fatal road collision.
The investigation of the accident lasted several months due to the circumstances of its committal, since it was a right turn and a passage with a green light. To prove exactly what happened, the Traffic Police proceeded to reconstruct the traffic accident at the same point in order to draw conclusions.
The fatal incident happened on July 29, 2025, with the victim being 20-year-old Kyriakos Antoniou from Agios Dometios. He was moving on Larnakos Avenue in the direction from the roundabout of the University of Cyprus to Nicosia. At the traffic lights on Larnakos Avenue, the 20-year-old attempted to turn right. At that moment, a vehicle was coming from the opposite direction, i.e. from Nicosia to the roundabout of the University, which was driven by a 24-year-old man with a 23-year-old passenger, which violently collided with the vehicle of 20-year-old Kyriakos. As a result of the fierce collision was the death of the 20-year-old and the slight injury of the passengers of the other vehicle.
During the investigation of the accident, the Nicosia Traffic Police had attempted to recover data from the "brain" of the vehicle involved, while it contacted the manufacturing company to send it to Germany, which ultimately did not work. However, in statements made at the end of 2025 by the director of the Traffic Police Headquarters, Haris Evripidou, the examinations had shown who was responsible for causing the traffic accident and, consequently, for the death of the 20-year-old.
It is noted that the case file was handed over last November with specific recommendations of the Police to the Legal Service, however, it was returned to the investigators for further action. The file was re-forwarded to the Legal Service last month, so after a study, the final instructions were given to register the case with the Court.
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A member of a terrorist group is said to be 25-year-old Kamel M., who was arrested at Larnaca airport last Friday.
The young man was arrested when he arrived at the international airport on a stopover flight from Lebanon, before departing for another European destination.
Members of the Cyprus Police handcuffed him on the basis of a red notice and a European arrest warrant from the German authorities.
The relevant information that was known to the Cyprus Police brought the person in question to have been involved in a case of trafficking in bullets and explosives.
The case took on dimensions today when German and international media published information linking the 25-year-old to a Hamas group that planned to carry out terrorist acts in Germany and other European countries.
In fact, the same publications give details about the persons with whom he cooperated. As we read in Deutsche Welle, the German authorities had already made arrests to dismantle the ring and in this context they had arrested three people last autumn.
Specifically, as noted in a DW report, "initially, in early October 2025, the authorities arrested in Berlin three people who were considered suspected members of Hamas. By the end of the year, other arrests followed: one in London, one on the German-Czech border and one on the German-Danish border. More recently, in January, Mohamed S. was arrested at Berlin airport upon arrival from Beirut."
Mohammed S. allegedly had a direct collaboration with Kamel M. The latter allegedly organized the transfer of 300 cartridges in August 2025. According to the data of the investigation so far, these ammunition were handed over to other accomplices through Mohammed S., who was arrested in January of this year. Investigators believe the weapons were intended for possible attacks against Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany and other European countries.
Secure information from Filenews from the Cyprus Police states that Kamel M. does not object to his extradition to Germany. If he does not change his position, then the procedure before a Cypriot Court for his surrender to the German authorities will be of a formal nature.
What remains is for the German Ministry of Justice to send to the corresponding Ministry of Cyprus the supporting documents for the reasons for requesting the extradition of the 25-year-old. The procedure may take time, but it is considered formal, as long as there are no objections from the suspect.
If there is no overthrow, Kamel M. will be extradited and brought before the investigator of the Federal Court in Karlsruhe. The latter will decide whether to order his pre-trial detention.
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The two persons arrested in connection with the two outbreaks of fire that broke out last Sunday in the community of Anogyra are expected to be brought before the Limassol District Court tomorrow Wednesday (11/3), for the issuance of a pre-trial detention order. They are a 51-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, both Greek Cypriots. Offenses related to violation of the Law on the Prevention of Fires in the Countryside are being investigated against them.
According to testimonies obtained by the investigators of the Limassol Police Department, on the same day two outbreaks of fire broke out in the area. After evaluating the information and testimonies, the authorities today proceeded with a request for the issuance of arrest warrants. Information from "F" states that the two persons were allegedly seen moving away from the place where the two outbreaks of the fire had occurred.
The fire in Anogyra, as the spokesman of the Fire Service, Andreas Kettis, had written in a post on platform X, broke out shortly after noon on Sunday and was extinguished in the bud by the local authority, with the assistance of the Fire Service. In fact, he said that the fires are malicious.
The first fire had broken out on Sunday morning in an area between the communities of Omodos and Mandria, causing the mobilization of the Fire Brigade. The fire started from a point near a rural road near an abandoned paddock and burned about three hectares of wild vegetation in the Asprovouni area of the Omodos community.
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The Police arrested a second person as part of an investigation into a case of motorcycle theft and assault causing actual bodily harm, committed in Paphos. He is a 38-year-old man, who was located and arrested yesterday afternoon by virtue of a court warrant.
It is recalled that a 31-year-old man is already in custody for the same case, who was arrested on March 8. The Paphos District Court issued a four-day detention order against him on March 9, for the purpose of investigating the case.
It is recalled that the case was reported to the Police at noon on Sunday, when a 27-year-old man reported that unknown persons stole his motorcycle, which was parked outside the apartment building where he lives in Paphos.
A few hours later, around 6 pm, the complainant spotted his motorcycle at a point on Evagora Pallikaridi Street. In his attempt to protect the bike, he was attacked by two unknown persons, who beat him, threw him to the ground and left the scene riding the motorcycle.
The 27-year-old managed to stop one of the two persons in an adjacent location, but the motorcycle was not located.
Members of the Police rushed to the scene and the check of evidence revealed that he is a 31-year-old man, who was arrested under a court warrant for the offenses of conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery, theft, assault causing actual bodily harm and malicious damage.
The complainant was taken to Paphos General Hospital, where he was examined by a doctor on duty and found to have a hematoma on the scalp and abrasions.
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On 5/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point, carried out an inspection of a vehicle driven by a woman with Greek Cypriot citizenship. During the inspection of the vehicle, 5 boxes of 200 cigarettes each and 5 boxes of 200 heated cigarettes each were found, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. The person involved was arrested for flagrant offenses, while the tobacco products in question and the vehicle as their means of transport were confiscated. She was later released, after her proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of a total amount of €650 was accepted.
On 6/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point, carried out an inspection of a vehicle driven by a man with Greek Cypriot citizenship. During the inspection of the vehicle, packages of hookah tobacco with a total weight of 1 kg were found, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. The person involved was arrested for flagrant offenses, while the tobacco products in question and the vehicle as their means of transport were confiscated. He was later released, after his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of a total amount of €500 was accepted.
On 7/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Astromeritis - Zodia crossing point, carried out an inspection of a passing vehicle driven by a Greek Cypriot. During the inspection, he was found to be carrying 5 boxes of 200 cigarettes each, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. The person involved was arrested for flagrante delicto, while the tobacco products in question and the vehicle as their means of transport were confiscated. He was later released, after his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of a total amount of €450 was accepted.
On 10/3/2026, during the early morning hours, officials of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point, carried out an inspection of a vehicle driven by a man with Greek Cypriot citizenship. During the inspection of the vehicle, 1 box of 200 cigarettes, 4 boxes of 200 heated cigarettes each and packages of rolled cigarettes with a total weight of 250 grams were found, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. After his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses was accepted, with the payment of a total amount of €300 he was released.
A little later on the same day on 10/3/2026, the same officers at the Agios Dometios crossing point, carried out an inspection of a vehicle driven by a man with Turkish Cypriot citizenship. During the inspection of the vehicle, 1 box of 200 cigarettes and 8 boxes of 200 heated cigarettes each were found carefully hidden in the area of the spare tire, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. After his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses was accepted, with the payment of a total amount of €400 euros, he was released.
Also at noon on the same day on 10/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point, carried out an inspection of a taxi vehicle with Turkish Cypriot registration numbers which was transporting a woman of Irish nationality to Larnaca Airport bound for the United Kingdom. During the check, 8 packages of tobacco for roll-your-own cigarettes of 250 grams each (total weight of 2Kg) were found in her luggage, which did not bear markings for the harmful to health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. After her proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses was accepted, with the payment of a total amount of €700 she was released.
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A pistol and explosive material were found yesterday, in an area in the province of Limassol and were received by the Police, for further examination.
Specifically, members of the Limassol OPE, during a patrol and following information, went to the area of a village in the Limassol district, where in an open area, they found hidden, a pistol, without a magazine, and five pieces of explosive material, with a total weight of 670 grams.
The scene was visited for examinations, a pyrotechnician of the Limassol Police Department and members of the Limassol Police Department. The pistol and the pieces of explosive material were received by the members of the Police, to receive specialized examinations.
The TAE Limassol is investigating.
