There is no evidence
The Cyprus Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to release two Russian citizens detained on the island on suspicion of plotting an assassination attempt on an unnamed Russian journalist. In this respect Wrote Phileleftheros is the biggest newspaper in Cyprus.
According to the publication, law enforcement did not file a criminal case because they could not find sufficient evidence that the assassination attempt was being prepared. One person involved in the case – a 62-year-old man permanently residing in Paphos – will be released from custody. The other was the decision to deport the 56-year-old Russian to his hometown. He arrived on the island a few days before he was detained by the police. The prosecution called the first client of the crime, the second – the executioner.
expose the journalist
The Russian journalist, whose life was attempted, according to the Cypriot police, has been living in Paphos for the past few years. According to the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini, the journalist had a political dispute with a 62-year-old Russian permanently living in Paphos, whom the investigation later recognized as the mastermind of the assassination.
According to Phileleftheros, the Russian journalist publicly made anti-Russian statements. The AlphaNews portal described the upcoming assassination attempt as politically motivated, citing a report from local authorities.
Phileleftheros also wrote about financial disagreements. The defendants agreed in their statements that they wanted to “expose the journalist on some serious matter”.
classify the case
According to investigators, a 62-year-old Russian sought help from a 56-year-old man to kill a journalist. The latter came and arrived in Cyprus, settling in a hotel in the city of Limassol.
The Cyprus Times and Alpha Cyprus publications wrote about the arrest of the two Russians on the night of May 18. The men were reportedly detained this week until 19 May. Security forces detained the alleged perpetrator of the crime in a hotel room on 12 May. The next day, the alleged organizer was also detained in his own home. The men were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
A source from the Russian embassy in Nicosia told RIA Novosti that the diplomatic department currently has no information about the release of the Russians. The police informed the Russian embassy about the fact of detention. None of the defendants in the case applied to the embassy.
According to Phileleftheros, the Cypriot police want to keep the incident as secret from the public as possible.