Chloraka murder suspects in custody

Two remaining suspects in a Chloraka murder earlier this year have been ordered in remanded custody in the south, after they were handed over by Turkish Cypriot authorities in the north following their extradition from Turkey.

According to local media, Syrian nationals Walid Al Moustafa, aged 22, and 25-year-old Tarek Haj Halaf were handed over to Greek Cypriot police on Saturday in the buffer zone, after the two men served sentences in the north for illegal entry.

The men were two of the remaining 11 suspects implicated in the killing of 20-year-old Jamal Alhadz, also from Syria, whose body was found hidden in a coastal area near Chloraka, Paphos district.

Reports said the killing took place in Vrexi where Alhadz was stabbed multiple times during an altercation along a road between Chloraka and Kato Paphos. Some of the individuals implicated in the incident have maintained they went to the area in order to stop the fight.

Nine other suspects who were detained early on in the investigation have been released on bail and are being charged with manslaughter and kidnapping with intent to do harm, after prosecutors dropped conspiracy and premeditated murder charges. Their arraignment hearing has been scheduled for 18 January 2021.

According to local media, a local judge in Paphos ordered Moustafa and Halaf on Sunday in remanded custody for eight days, on premeditated murder charges.

Turkish Cypriot officials said the two main suspects had entered the north back in April and proceeded to travel to Turkey, where they got arrested and sent back to Cyprus. They then served prison sentences in the north for illegal entry before being handed over in the south through UN’s Ledra Palace location.

According to an official statement, newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar called on the two sides of the divided island to continue cooperation on criminal matters, noting that they expected a similar attitude from Greek Cypriot authorities in the south.