Three men wanted by Cyprus are among 19 fugitives in a new EU Most Wanted appeal published by Europol on Thursday. One is sought over the sexual abuse of a child, another over a 2016 shooting in Ayia Napa that killed three people, and the third over the shooting of a man at a Limassol hotel last year.
Child sexual abuse case
The first man is wanted for rape, child sexual exploitation and child pornography offences. According to Europol, the investigation concerns a complaint made in November 2023 by a 12-year-old child, who told a doctor at Nicosia hospital that they had been sexually abused. The case is under investigation.
Ayia Napa shooting
The second man, an Albanian national, is wanted in connection with homicide, arson and causing grievous bodily harm over an armed attack on a restaurant in Ayia Napa on 23 June 2016. A businessman, a police officer and the officer’s wife were killed, and a second police officer and another person were seriously injured.
He is also alleged to have been involved in a conspiracy to commit other murders in Cyprus as part of the same criminal group.
Limassol hotel shooting
The third man is wanted for attempted murder, money laundering, participation in a criminal organisation, extortion and related offences. According to Europol, on 29 September 2025 he allegedly went with another suspect to a hotel in Limassol and shot a 42-year-old Ukrainian man in the abdomen, also attacking a bystander.
Evidence from the investigation linked the motive to extortion, involving a demand for a large sum of money backed by threats to the victim’s life. According to information from the Russian authorities, he holds a senior position in a criminal organisation allegedly involved in burglaries, thefts, robberies and extortion. He is considered high-risk.
The appeal
The appeal, covering fugitives wanted by 14 countries, focuses on crimes against children and the elderly, including child sexual exploitation and fraud targeting older people. It includes both suspects wanted to face criminal proceedings and convicted offenders on the run.
The European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams (ENFAST), supported by Europol, is urging the public to look at the profiles and pass on any information that could help police find the fugitives. The 19 people are wanted in connection with cases in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain.
Europol advises the public not to approach anyone they recognise, but to submit information anonymously through the EU Most Wanted website. Tips are passed directly to the relevant national fugitive search teams.
The website, set up by ENFAST and Europol in 2016, marks ten years in operation this year. Since its launch, 191 fugitives have been arrested while their profiles were online, with tips from the public contributing in 58 cases. So far in 2026, 16 fugitives on the site have been arrested, four of them thanks to information from the public.
