Cyprus issues European warrants for Sifis, Rudolf

Cyprus police have issued European arrest warrants against Sifis and Rudolf, in connection with the Nicosia drive-by shooting in late November.

CID Nicosia is looking for 40-year-old Greek Cypriot Josef “Sifis” Josef and 39-year-old Slovakian national Dydi Rudolf who went by the name Balazov Miroslav in Cyprus.

The two men are wanted in connection with an attempted murder against 57-year-old Nicosia businessman Nikos Rodhotheou, when two men on a scooter fired shots at the back of vehicle on November 26.

Rodhotheou, the younger brother of Andreas Rodhotheou who was gunned down in a secluded safe house in Limassol last April, was not injured during the incident in Nicosia.

Sifis, who holds a top position in Nicosia’s Apoel football club, has drawn criticism from some fans and politicians, some of whom called on the team to ban him citing the fact that he had not contacted authorities to clear his name.

But police believe they have a strong case against the two suspects, after obtaining evidence from both testimony and forensics. Cops said questioning them in person would help ascertain what role each of them might have played.

Two other male suspects, a 26-year-old Greek Cypriot and a 33-year-old Syrian national, were implicated in the case following their arrest while attempting to load a scooter into a van, which was under surveillance in an unrelated drug operation.

Knews understand that the 26-year-old man has given a written deposition, in which he names two suspects involved in the shooting.

Previous reports said the owner of a scooter, which was similar to the one involved in the driver by shooting, was abroad and had spoken with Nicosia CID investigators over the telephone. Police did not confirm whether Rudolf and the owner of the scooter was the same person.

Some media reports said the owner of a scooter was in Australia and due back in Cyprus before the year is out, while Sifis was described as a known close friend and associate of Alexis “Alexoui” Mavromichalis, who was arrested recently on drug charges but was released due to lack of evidence.