Third arrest for weapons cache

Police on Tuesday arrested a third suspect in connection with the discovery of what authorities have described as the largest weapons cache found on the island.

The 42-year-old man, is currently being held as a suspect in the Central Prisons regarding the murder of Athanasios Kalogeropoulos, which occurred in October 2023 in Limassol.

The weapons were discovered on May 20 after police were tipped off about the stash at a cemetery in Oroklini, in the Larnaca district. On the same day, two men, aged 46 and 35, were arrested.

Police intercepted the 46-year-old suspect, finding in his bag ten boxes of bullets, several cartridges, a pistol and a hunting rifle. Further searches uncovered a military rifle, an anti-tank weapon, two projectiles, three projectile propellants, a cartridge box, an improvised explosive device, a quantity of high-explosive material, a pistol and two silencers inside the grave.

These individuals have been referred for direct trial before the Larnaca Criminal Court, starting on July 1.

Scientific examination of the evidence provided testimony against the 42-year-old suspect, leading to his arrest. The 42-year-old, together with three other suspects, had been arrested at the end of last year on suspicion of killing Kalogeropoulos, 54.

The murder trial had initially been set to begin in January, but was postponed after the four defendants initially requested that they be tried in Nicosia rather than in Limassol. In March, they all pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

Describing the arms discovery as possibly the largest amount of weapons and explosives found to date in Cyprus, police spokesman Christos Andreou had said the bust seems to have stopped one or more criminal actions.