An uneasy calm hangs over Cyprus

Police in Cyprus are on high alert after two deadly attacks last week that targeted prominent figures in the island’s underworld. The killings have raised fears of a new wave of violence between rival gangs.

Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, a businessman with alleged ties to organized crime, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle in Limassol on Thursday. Police have arrested a 44-year-old man and a 41-year-old man in connection with the murder and are searching for the second shooter.

Alexis Mavromichalis, a notorious crime boss known as “Alexoui”, was gunned down outside his home in Nicosia on Friday. Police have few clues on the identity of the killer, who left only a shell casing at the scene.

Sources close to the investigation say the next few months will be critical for the control of underworld activities in Cyprus, as it is undergoing a “transitional period”. They say the two attacks could trigger a power struggle among competing factions.