Injured man in Limassol knife attack speaks out

A Romanian national says he was the victim of a knife attack perpetrated by a discourteous driver in Limassol, while a 64-year-old man who gave a different story to police has been remanded in custody for seven days.

Local reports on Tuesday said a 48-year-old Romanian male had told off a Greek Cypriot driver over the latter’s vehicle parking, with the two men quickly getting into an altercation.

The incident took place Sunday night on Ismet Pasa street, when the driver was backing into a parking space and a pedestrian behind the vehicle started yelling at him. At one point, a knife was pulled during the incident and the Romanian got injured in the abdomen and one lung.

The Greek Cypriot man, who has been remanded in custody for one week, told police the Romanian was drunk and used a knife to break the window of the vehicle, at which time the driver inadvertently injured him in an effort to thwart off a knife attack.

But the Romanian man, who was met by police investigators at the hospital where he was being treated, says the driver didn’t look behind as he was backing his vehicle to park, which prompted the man outside to yell at him and approach the driver’s side window.

Forensic pathologists were called in to ascertain whether the knife wounds on the Romanian male were of an offensive or defensive nature, while police did not disclose whether they know who pulled the knife. Knews was unable to establish the ownership of the knife. 

The driver says he locked the car door as soon as the man approached the window while the Romanian says it was the 64-year-old who pulled a knife and proceeded with the attack.

The Romanian national walked away after he was injured but collapsed about half a kilometre away from the incident, where people at a nearby fraternity club saw him and notified the police.