38-year-old cuffed for Ayia Napa botched mob hit

A 38-year-old Larnaca resident was arrested Monday afternoon in connection with a botched mob hit in Ayia Napa on Sunday.

Police found evidence that tied the 38-year-old to footage of a man walking outside the Liquid Café Bar on Krio Nero Avenue and looking into the premises while talking on the phone, 15 minutes prior to the shooting on Sunday which left four people in critical condition.

According to reports, the main target of the shooting, local businessman and former Ayia Napa FC chairman Costas Kritikos, had noticed the man and felt that something was off. He left the pub at 1:40am, some 20 minutes before the incident which left four bystanders hospitalized but not in immediate danger.

The four, who had been sitting at Kritikos’ table according to local media, were seriously injured. A woman aged 26 took bullets to the leg and stomach area, and was transferred to the Nicosia General Hospital due to the severity of her condition. A 32-year-old was hit by seven bullets in various parts of his body, which were surgically removed. Bullets also went through the bodies of two 38-year-olds who also received surgery.

Law enforcement authorities and the public have been on edge following the shooting.

Released CCTV footage of the shooting showed an unknown male, wearing gloves and a hoodie, shooting –following an initial hesitation - at the window panes with a Kalashnikov rifle before speeding off.

Police investigators obtained statements from a number of witnesses, including people associated with Costas Kritikos. Investigators were also seeking general statements from people suspected to have links to criminal activity or networks.

After the shooting, the gunman left his weapon in the parking lot of the Thalassa Municipal Museum, from where it was recovered by the police and sent for tests, the results of which are expected soon.

Police Chief Kypros Michaelides, who visited the scene of the crime following the incident, assured Justice Minister George Savvides that investigators would get to the bottom of the case.