Bus driver cries foul over airport assault

A Turkish Cypriot bus driver says Greek Cypriots threw rocks at his vehicle at Larnaca International Airport where he had gone to pick up tourists.

According to local media, a Turkish Cypriot driver is expected to give a statement to the bicommunal crime committee on Friday regarding an alleged attack by Greek Cypriot bus drivers earlier this week.

The complainant says he was assaulted by bus drivers who pushed him and threw rocks and water bottles while he had 25 tourists inside his bus who had just arrived at LCA from Hungary and were catching a connection to the north.

According to reports, the Turkish Cypriot driver told local media that the assault took place in front of the eyes of security officers, who were simply watching according to the allegation without trying to intervene.

Greek Cypriot bus drivers kept chasing him and trying to block his path as he was trying to drive his bus out of the airport, according to the allegation. He reportedly drove directly to the north by taking a detour to reach a the closest crossing point as quickly as possible.

The incident was brought to the attention of President Nicos Anastasiades during a conversation he had with UN representative Elizabeth Spehar in Limassol. The UN diplomat had previously spoken with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, who relayed to her what he described as an “unacceptable” incident and called for action.

Anastasiades, who is recovering from hip surgery at home, later said he called for an investigation into the allegations, adding that police sought to get details from the bicommunal crime committee in order to look into the case.

The driver is expected to give a statement to the crime committee on Friday, which will be relayed to the Greek Cypriot police for further investigation.