Ayia Napa: Three tourists arrested for attack on Turkish Cypriot
Three young tourists were arrested in Ayia Napa following an attack that left a 47-year-old Turkish Cypriot with serious head injuries.
Ayia Napa: Three tourists arrested for attack on Turkish Cypriot
Three young tourists aged 18 years old are in custody following a violent assault against a 47-year-old Turkish Cypriot on a central road in Ayia Napa in the early hours of Sunday.
The victim suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and a fracture at the base of the skull, according to treating doctors at Nicosia General Hospital, where he is hospitalised on a ventilator. His condition is described as stable but serious.
The arrested individuals, who had planned to leave Cyprus on Monday, were brought before the Famagusta District Court for detention. They are individuals holding Swedish passports and originating from Albania, Chile and Iraq. They are being investigated for causing serious bodily harm.
According to findings from the Famagusta Police investigation, a heated argument between the victim and the group of three suspects preceded the physical assault. The reasons that led to the altercation continue to be investigated.
A fourth person, who has already been identified by the authorities, is being sought for involvement in the same incident.
This incident is the third case of violent behaviour in the Ayia Napa area within a period of less than one month. It was preceded by an altercation on 17 June outside a nightclub, where Israeli tourists were involved in an argument with a local, as well as another violent episode recorded in a video by a British social media user.
The case has provoked reactions in the occupied territories. Turkish Cypriot community leader Ersin Tatar is closely following developments in the victim's health, whilst the so-called Prime Minister Ünal Üstel emphasised that should it be proven that the motive was ethnic hatred, the incident cannot be treated as an isolated criminal offence.
Source: Politis
Source: Politis