Five more detained in Cyprus contract killing case, bringing total number of arrests to eight

Cyprus police detained five more people in the Paphos district in connection with a conspiracy to commit murder and participation in a criminal organisation. The total number of people arrested in the case has risen to eight, police said.

The detainees are aged 21, 22, 22, 25 and 28. During a planned operation, police stopped the car they were travelling in and served them with arrest warrants. A pistol, two knives, gloves, masks and three mobile phones were found during a search of the vehicle.

A further eight mobile phones, $1,400 in cash, documents, notes and other evidence were seized during a search of a property in Paphos. All five are due to be brought before a court today, which will decide whether they should be remanded in custody.

Earlier, three men aged 33, 34 and 35 were detained in the Larnaca and Famagusta districts in connection with the same case. The Famagusta District Court in Paralimni issued an order for them to be remanded in custody for eight days.

The investigation began after Danish law enforcement authorities passed information to the Cyprus police via Europol about contract killings being planned on the island. According to Cypriot media, the targets were twin brothers, foreign nationals who were planning to come to Cyprus on holiday. The clients were looking for a hitman on the dark web, while a Danish undercover police officer who flew to the island on 24 August took on the role of the assassin. He was promised around €85,000 for the two killings.

The case is being investigated by a special investigative team of police headquarters in cooperation with European law enforcement agencies and Europol.