Pafos Live 30 May 2026
The Police arrested two persons yesterday during the Cyprus Cup Final, at the GSP stadium, in Nicosia. Specifically, a 31-year-old man, for the crime of attacking a supervisor, and a 19-year-old, were arrested, after fireworks, firecrackers and flares were found in his car.
The 31-year-old was arrested by members of the MMAD, for spontaneous offenses, around 5.50 pm yesterday, in the vehicle parking lot of the GSP stadium, where the members of the Police noticed him throwing a lit flare at the supervisor and attacking him.
Immediately the members of the Police intervened and despite the fact that the 31-year-old resisted, they proceeded to arrest him. In a subsequent search, a flare was also found in his possession, which was retained as evidence.
The 19-year-old was arrested around 8.45 pm, for the self-inflicted crime of possession of explosives, after a search carried out by members of the Nicosia Police Department and MMAD, in his car, in the parking lot of the stadium, five (5) fireworks, 13 firecrackers, and eight (8) flares were found.
The investigation of the two cases was undertaken by the Strovolos Police Station and the Nicosia Police Department.
Seven arrests have been made in the last few hours, as part of targeted preventive operations by the Police.
In a relevant announcement, it is stated that the presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with the conduct of 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, seven persons were arrested for various offenses, such as possession of drugs, illegal stay in the territory of the Republic, as well as for traffic violations.
As part of these operations, during the night, 485 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 599 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 53 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, from which eleven complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 310 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while seven (7) investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police investigations, seven (7) vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made about traffic violations, 67 concerned complaints about exceeding the speed limit. Also, 12 drivers were reported for driving under the influence of alcohol, while 4 cases of driving under the influence of drugs emerged, after positive preliminary drug tests.
For driving under the influence of alcohol, 153 checks were carried out on vehicle drivers, while for driving under the influence of drugs, eight (8) checks were carried out on drivers.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue every day, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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With a goal by Zaza in the 83rd minute, Paphos FC led Apollon 1-0 in the Cup final at GSP. With a tremendous shot inside the area, he beat Koun and gave the lead to the Paphos team, while a little later chaos was caused on the pitch and a few minutes of interruption.
Bruno clearly seems to be provoking the Apollon stands, objects were raining down and then the GSP pitch turned into a battlefield, with embarrassing images and many negative protagonists. Six expulsions from the grounds and Police involvement.
A fire broke out on Friday night outside the GSP stadium, in Nicosia, after the end of the Cup final between Apollon and Paphos FC, which won the trophy.
According to the information, the fire broke out during the departure of the fans of the Limassol team, while Paphos FC was lifting the trophy inside the stadium, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.
The outbreak of fire was located on the road outside GSP, towards the roundabout, from where the Apollon fans headed to return to Limassol.
The Fire Service intervened immediately and extinguished the fire, with its members already on alert due to the fight.
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Diesel allegedly procured from the occupied territories was located and confiscated by officials of the Customs Department, in cooperation with members of the Nicosia OPE, following a coordinated operation carried out on May 28, 2026 at the premises of a transport company.
According to a relevant announcement, on 28/5/2026, officials of the Customs Department in collaboration with members of the Nicosia HEPO, after evaluating information, carried out a coordinated operation at the specific premises of a transport company. There they located the Greek Cypriot driver of a transport vehicle, type of minibus, with which he had previously traveled from the occupied to the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus, transporting diesel supplied from the occupied areas, from the tank of the bus to other vehicles of the transport company, using an electronic transfusion pump, in violation of the Green Line Regulation.
The driver and owner of the transport company involved was arrested for self-inflicted offenses, while the officials of the Customs Department proceeded to confiscate the fuel and the suspected vehicle of the illegal transport. He was later released, after his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of an amount of €18,000 was accepted. The confiscated fuel will be handed over to a licensed company for recycling or destruction.
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The Limassol Permanent Criminal Court imposed concurrent prison sentences of 5,5 years yesterday (29/5) on a 56-year-old Greek Cypriot, who was found guilty in a case of sexual abuse of a minor, in another case that causes revulsion and highlights the seriousness of the complaints that reach the Justice. The minor victim in this case, a 10-year-old boy, found the courage to speak up and confess what the 56-year-old neighbour committed against him.
The accused was sentenced to 5,5 years in prison, after admitting to three charges.
According to the despicable facts, the 56-year-old in two cases sexually abused the minor.
It is noted that the accused is a neighbour of the 10-year-old and maintained friendly relations with the victim's family. The incidents happened when the minor's parents were absent, on two different occasions.
The complaint was made in 2025 by the minor and the case then took the path of Justice.
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A new trial, which began on May 5, for alleged proselytism, the third in a row, concerns the Justice and the Church of Cyprus, in which the diocese of Limassol and the name of Metropolitan Athanasios, as well as the monastery of Machairas and the name of its abbot Epiphanius, are involved.
The case (lawsuit) was registered in 2016 by Elizabeth and Panagiotis Nikolaou, parents of a monk, asking the Court to order that the defendants (Metropolitan of Limassol and Abbot of Machairas), "release their son" who is a monk in the monastery of Machairas. Furthermore, among other things, they claim compensation between €500,000-€2,000,000.
The difference between the present case, compared to the previous ones (which ended with the acquittal of the Metropolitan of Limassol), lies in the fact that in this case the monk's family claims that his influence from circles of the Metropolitan of Limassol began at the age of 15, that is, while he was a minor.
What the monk's mother testified in the form of a statement to the Court (before the Court) is shocking. It is reported that when he left and settled in the monastery of Machairas, he found his notes, from the reading of which it is found that he was recording his conversations and contacts with the Metropolitan of Limassol. Her own son, who was born on 24/6/1981, reportedly told her later that he would use the notes to write the biography of the metropolitan.
According to the mother's statement, in the third grade of high school, when her son was 15 years old, his thinking and will gradually began to be affected. At that time, he had excellent grades and performances and was daily engaged in activities such as music, athletics and football. He was involved in football a lot and was a football player of Anorthosis. He was a member of NEDISY. and in general he was a very sociable child. He also had many friends with whom he went out on various socially interesting outings.
Until the age of 15 he had no regular contact with the Church and had never shown any interest in delving into issues related to the Church or monasticism. When he was in elementary school, he went to Sunday school and sometimes on Sunday he attended the Divine Liturgy.
After the age of 15, the Metropolitan of Limassol Athanasios and the abbot of Machairas Epifanios are alleged, according to the mother's claim, to have gradually begun to intervene in an illegal and illegitimate way in his personality. For this particular aspect, the monk's mother also mentions the following:
"In particular, not only did they prevent my son from continuing his studies in America, but also during his stay there (in the USA) they forced and pressured him to be in constant contact with a specific spiritual guide, who was an associate of the Metropolitan of Limassol in Arizona. In addition, they convinced him that he cannot have a carnal relationship with any woman, since "she is the mother of sin." Furthermore, they convinced him that his contact with his family should be minimal to none. In addition, he was repeatedly stressed that he could not trust his family, on the grounds that they were in the camp where demons dominate and that his parents were ignorant of theological matters. They also made him believe that he can become a saint and that he is within his capabilities."
"Responsible for influence and manipulation"
The statement also claims that the Metropolitan of Limassol and Abbot Machairas "are responsible and guilty of a wider plan to influence and manipulate" the current monk. In particular, according to the statement, they exerted impermissible influence to persuade him to embrace the idea of monasticism and take refuge in the monastery of Machairas.
Furthermore, it is claimed that they cut her son off from the bond of the family relationship and prevented him from having any contact (with the family) "except after the approval of limited visits to the monastery of Machairas". The defendants (Athanasios and Epifanios) adopted this behavior and apply it to this day, as a result of which they removed and completely alienated my son from his family.
"Therefore," the mother continues, "they succeeded in manipulating my son into monasticism by preventing him from returning to his family and reuniting with its core. As I reasonably believe, they used promises and took advantage of my son's weaknesses at a time when, because of his young age and because of the problems he was facing, he became prone to mental manipulation."
When did the distancing from the family begin?
the mother's statement also records the following: "In the second year of high school, at the age of about 16-17, my son began to distance himself from the family, to be secretive and to show a strong change in his personality. His distancing culminated in his integration into the monastery of Machairas (...) A priest of the community of Lythrodontas, who was a supporter of the Metropolitan of Limassol and who confessed the children, urged him to go to the monastery of Machairas. (…) At the age of 16-17 he began to listen to speeches by the Metropolitan of Limassol on cassettes which he reproduced and gave to his friends. A professor led him to the University of Cyprus, where the Metropolitan of Limassol organized speeches addressed to young people (...) In the third year of Lyceum, around the year 1999, when my son was 17-18 years old, in his bedroom the posters of football players were replaced by icons of saints and a photo of the Metropolitan of Limassol. The son told me that the Metropolitan of Limassol had told him that only by listening to and reading his (himself) speeches and observing what they say, he would be able to find the right path and the meaning of his life."
The family's lawyers are Mr. Savvas Matsas and the office of Mouzouras and Neophytou.
The very serious case of arresting Palestinians suspected of terrorism is taking on dimensions. Information from Filenews states that the Police have made two more arrests of persons allegedly involved in the case. These are also Palestinians, who resided in the province of Larnaca.
The two were brought before the Larnaca Court yesterday which ordered their eight-day detention. As for the other two, 32 and 38 years old, they were brought before the District Court in Paralimni today and in a closed-door procedure their detention order was renewed for another 8 days.
One of the arrested reportedly admitted that the target would be Israelis and tests are being carried out to determine how and where the 'incidents' would take place. All the items, which are too many, were sent for specialized tests both to show the type of all the chemicals, and to determine if there is another person's DNA in them.
It is recalled that in two houses on the Governor's Beach and in Kamares, Larnaca, which seem to be related to the 32-year-old, explosive materials were found, including ammonia nitrate. These are chemicals, which may also come from the Cypriot market. The investigations of the Police, who estimate that they prevented beatings in Cyprus, continue in order to see if the suspects had other accomplices.
It is also recalled that the first large quantity was found in a house on the Governor's Beach last Thursday, May 21, which also seems to be connected to him, while the second last Saturday in an apartment in Kamares, Larnaca. The 32-year-old lived with his family in the latter. So far, from the examinations, it appears that the 38-year-old resided illegally in Cyprus and it is estimated that he managed to enter the territory of the Republic from the occupied territories.
