A 22-year-old National Guard contract soldier has been remanded in custody for eight days as a suspect in the attempted murder of a well-known figure on the morning of 31 July in the Dromolaxia Industrial Area.
The 22-year-old is believed to be the perpetrator of the attempted murder of a 47-year-old man who was shot at but managed to escape on his bicycle without injury.
Larnaca district court took strict security measures, allowing only journalists into the courtroom, whilst the suspect wore a bulletproof vest.
The sworn statement of Larnaca CID sergeant Manolis Manolis was not read before the court, and the suspect’s defence lawyer Christos Poutziouris did not object to his detention.
The suspect faces six offences: conspiracy to commit a felony, attempted murder, receiving stolen goods, theft, possession of a firearm and possession of explosives.
The suspect was allegedly linked through testimony from a third party secured by Larnaca CID, according to philenews sources.
He allegedly told this person he was the perpetrator of the attempted murder of the 47-year-old and that he had previously followed him using different vehicles. Police, meanwhile, located CCTV footage that recorded the perpetrator’s escape route after the attempted murder.
A necklace that allegedly fell from the perpetrator was found along this route, on which DNA was detected. Tests are being conducted to determine whether it matches the 22-year-old’s DNA.
Police conducted searches this morning at the military camp where the contract soldier serves in the Nicosia district, but found nothing. The suspect was arrested yesterday afternoon under a court warrant at a car park.
Extensive searches were conducted at his Larnaca home. Various evidence was found and seized at the contract soldier’s residence, including a loaded pistol which will be sent for ballistics testing to determine whether it is linked to any criminal activity, according to police.
The 47-year-old was cycling from the Dromolaxia Industrial Area towards the Krasa area on the morning of Thursday 31 July when he heard gunshots, which he initially thought came from hunters.
When he realised he was the target, he began to speed up and then saw the perpetrator, who was wearing a helmet, fleeing on foot and leaving behind the scooter he had been riding, according to what he reportedly told police.
Around 11:30 in the morning, the attempted murder target, who was not injured, notified police himself. The area was cordoned off and drones and a helicopter were deployed to locate the perpetrator, who nevertheless managed to escape.
More than 10 shell casings were collected from the scene, whilst other evidence left behind by the perpetrator was sent for forensic examination.
According to sources from the National Guard, the procedure followed for contract soldiers in similar cases is to deduct part of their salary for each day they remain in custody. If convicted, he will be dismissed and removed from the National Guard.
