Authorities have started an investigation into a threat against President Christodoulides, conducting searches at the central prison and enhancing presidential security measures, officials said Sunday.
The investigation centres on a threat received through social media, prompting a pre-dawn operation at the prison on Friday that involved both prison officers and a large police contingent.
“I confirm the incident and have absolute confidence in the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus,” Christodoulides told reporters at a sports event in Limassol, declining to provide further details.
During the operation, authorities searched the cell of Simon Mistriel Aykut, a 74-year-old man facing charges over large-scale misappropriation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories. Officers seized a television set and personal notebook from his cell.
Police also discovered a mobile phone and charger in staff toilets at the prison facility.
Cyprus Police spokesperson Kyriaki Lambrianidou said the investigation was ongoing in collaboration with other state agencies. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that authorities have sought international assistance to trace the origin of the threat.
The nature of the threat and its precise origin remain unclear, though sources indicate it may have originated outside Cyprus.
Maria Neophytou, Aykut’s lawyer, said she had written to prison authorities requesting official information about the circumstances of the search in her client’s cell.
Authorities have refrained from providing additional details, citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation.
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