CCTV footage and a tip police deemed credible led Limassol CID investigators to two young men, aged 18 and 20, both Nicosia residents, who are alleged to be linked to a shooting at company offices in Germasogeia in late July.
The two suspects appeared before Limassol District Court on Thursday, where police applied for their remand in custody.
Case investigator Ioannis Mavromoustakos requested an eight-day remand for both suspects. Their lawyer objected both to remanding the 20-year-old at all and to the length of remand sought for the 18-year-old.
After a break, the court approved the police request and ordered both held for eight days, ruling that the request was justified given the investigation under way.
The 14 bullets and the CCTV trail
Police found 14 bullets during examinations of the building’s exterior, philenews understands.
CCTV footage showed the shooting took place on July 18. It captured two people approaching the building, with one of them firing at it using a small firearm.
The same footage showed the attackers arriving at and leaving the scene in a car stolen from Agios Athanasios in late February, with the gunman shown as the vehicle’s passenger.
The car left Nicosia for Limassol roughly an hour before the shooting, footage showed. It carried different registration plates at the time. Those plates matched a vehicle of the same make and model but a different year, registered to a woman.
Car traced to Kaimakli
The stolen car turned up in Kaimakli a few days after the shooting. Police put it under surveillance, and when no one came to collect it, they took it to Police Headquarters for further examination.
Examination then found the plates on the car were fake. They belonged to another vehicle of the same make, but a different colour.
According to evidence presented to the court, the car was found close to the homes of both the 18-year-old and the 20-year-old.
CCTV footage also showed the gunman wearing black clothing and grey trainers of a specific brand.
Forensic evidence links 18-year-old to case
A swab taken from the stolen car’s gearstick produced a forensic link to the 18-year-old suspect.
Police also credited a tip from a reliable informant, who named the two suspects as the people allegedly involved in the shooting.
The 20-year-old’s link to the case stems, among other things, from the fact that the stolen car was recorded stopping near the block of flats where he lives, before continuing on to Limassol, police said.
Search finds matching trainers
Arrest warrants issued against the two suspects were executed on Thursday in Nicosia.
A search of the 18-year-old’s home found a pair of white trainers which, according to police examination, match those worn by the gunman during the shooting.
Limassol CID investigators have so far taken 22 statements and carried out four searches in connection with the case, with a further 47 statements expected before examinations are complete.
Neither the key to the stolen car nor the firearm used in the shooting has been found to date.
The two suspects are expected to be questioned by Limassol CID investigators following their remand.
