Estranged husband admits killing wife

The suspect in the Paphos spousal murder, who has been denying premeditated charges, has reportedly admitted to killing his wife “in a moment of rage.”

Last week, 42-year-old Syrian national Hussein Farouh was arrested on premeditated charges in connection with the murder of his wife, 31-year-old Ghada Al Nouri also from Syria.

He had initially denied the charges or any involvement according to local media, while new reports on Thursday said Farouh told crime investigators that he stabbed his wife after finding out she was seeing another man.

Local media said Farouh, who was separated from his wife and had a restraining order against him, claimed he had suspected that his wife was seeing another man, also from Syria.

Media sources said Farouh told investigators in his deposition that he flew into a rage after seeing his wife who had been seeing another man. He also said he had lost his mind, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and stabbed his wife.

The suspect was apprehended last week in Limassol with local media reporting police had been tipped off about Farouh’s whereabouts and proceeded to raid an establishment which ten other Syrian males had been using as a residence.

Farouh was arrested on a warrant while the other men were detained for questioning, with investigators reportedly considering accessory charges as they were trying to establish whether any of the other males might have been involved in providing any form of assistance to the murder suspect.

But it later turned out that the Syrian men refused to help Farouh. Leaked information to the media suggested Farouh allegedly admitted to his fellow compatriots that he had killed his wife to “restore honour” while additional reports said the men notified police and held the suspect down until law enforcement officers arrived.

The victim, who had a total of seven children together with the suspect, had travelled to Cyprus in 2018 in a boat from Lebanon to join her husband, bringing along five of their children. She later sought help from state authorities but was unable to move to a safe house offered to her due to logistical concerns over her five children.