Ex-con under witness protection goes missing

A suspect has been remanded in custody in connection with the disappearance of a Syrian man, who was said to be under witness protection while police are fearing the worst.

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Police on Saturday arrested a 40-year-old male from Jordan after an inmate at Nicosia Central Prisons was among prisoners questioned about the whereabouts of Ahmed Zaidan, a 31-year-old Limassol resident originally from Syria.

Zaidan’s whereabouts have been unknown since February 14, with police said to be investigating a possible kidnapping case with murder intent. The Jordanian suspect, who was remanded in custody on Sunday for eight days, was the last person to see Zaidan alive according to information obtained by police.

Zaidan, who was arrested along with a Kurdish man from Turkey last year in a high risk takedown in Limassol, was released from prison recently after serving a one year sentence for burglary.

Local media also said Zaidan had been placed under the witness protection programme, while police did not provide him with a safe house according to online Reporter.

Additional reports said a car known to have been driven by Zaidan was registered to another male who is currently in remanded custody in connection with a Nicosia drive-by shooting.

The target in that shooting, which took place near the capital’s former Hilton in November 2018, was 57-year-old Nikos Rodhotheou, the younger brother of Andreas Rodhotheou who was gunned down in a secluded safe house in Limassol earlier that year.

According to Reporter, a detained man described as a friend of Zaidan, told investigators that he met with a 22-year-old mutual friend outside of jail recently.

Based on that information, Zaidan told the 22-year-old that he had met with the Jordanian suspect on February 14. The meeting was said to have taken place in the daytime while Zaidan and the Jordanian suspect were supposed to meet up again later that evening.

The 40-year-old reportedly has denied any involvement, telling investigators he was home with his wife during the evening on Valentine’s Day.