Cyprus is revoking the asylum status of two Palestinian men and deporting them after they attacked three tourists in broad daylight in the centre of Nicosia, the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection said.
The attack took place in the walled city in the middle of the day. According to police, the three tourists reported being attacked by two individuals while in the area. One of the victims appears to have suffered an ear injury.
Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides ordered the immediate revocation of the two men’s asylum status following the incident. Asked by Phileleftheros to comment, he said such behaviour would not be tolerated and that government policy on such incidents was strict. “Foreign nationals who do not respect the country that hosts them by engaging in criminal behaviour will face consequences and have their asylum status revoked,” he said.
Procedures to formally strip the two men of their asylum status and initiate repatriation are now under way. A question is raised of where they are being sent given the current situation in Gaza.
