With a handgun, the would-be assassin targeted the 49-year-old early yesterday afternoon in Aglantzia, with the Police trying to find the motives as well as witnesses.
According to information obtained by philenews, the perpetrator, who was lurking in a nearby building, fired two shots at the 49-year-old from a relatively close distance using a pistol.
The shots hit his vehicle but did not harm the 49-year-old, who was the intended target, or his two children who were with him.
Today, the 49-year-old was again summoned to the Nicosia CID to provide a written statement and to be questioned about whether he suspects anyone who might want to harm him.
The fact that the perpetrator did not shoot the potential victim when he was alone in the car, waiting with his 15-year-old daughter for his 17-year-old son to return from the kiosk, is attributed, perhaps, to the fact that he was not ready earlier, considering that he had been following him with some means of transportation.
Investigators from the Nicosia CID, who are probing the attempted murder case, are particularly concerned about the timing of the attack, disregarding the fact that the perpetrator could have been noticed, and overlooking that there were two minors in the vehicle or that he might harm pedestrians.
The attempted murder took place at 5:15 p.m. on Larnacos Avenue, during rush hour, and what is being investigated is whether the perpetrator knew the movements of the 49-year-old and waited for him at the kiosk, which is rather unlikely, or if he was following him.
The investigations are ongoing, and closed-circuit surveillance networks are being sought along the victim’s route to determine if any suspicious movements of a car or motorcycle following him have been recorded.
This morning, new searches were conducted at the scene to determine the whereabouts of the perpetrator at the time of the shooting, while two shell casings found have been sent to the laboratories of the Criminal Investigation Department for scientific examinations.
In statements on Tuesday, upon his arrival at the Central Prisons for a visit and briefing, Minister of Justice Marios Hartsiotis mentioned that he had immediate information from the Chief of Police about yesterday’s attempted murder and that he is in constant contact with him, staying informed.
“The Police are taking all necessary measures and conducting all necessary examinations to investigate the attempted murder that took place on Monday in Aglantzia,” the Minister stated.
