Military man detained over 5G bomb attack

A private soldier was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an explosion outside a CYTA branch in Limassol last month, with police investigators estimating at least five people were involved in the anti-5G attack.

Police said a 27-year-old male was detained on an arrest warrant on Tuesday, in connection with an ongoing investigation into a series of attacks in Limassol back in mid-December, including a bomb going off outside an Ayia Fyla branch of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority in Limassol.

Local media said the suspect, a private soldier who enlisted in the National Guard on military pay, emerged as a person of interest during the course of an investigation following the blast. It was not clear whether police had evidence pointing to direct involvement or a different role in the attacks.

A homemade metal pipe bomb was used in the attack which took place on 13 December 2020, around 11:40pm, causing damages in the entrance of the building, while anti-5G graffiti and resistance slogans were also scribbled on glass doors, exterior walls, and a commercial sign.

The same perpetrators were believed to have carried out an attack at a nearby Hellenic Bank branch, using a Molotov cocktail and fireworks, while reports said an attempt to burn down a Christmas tree also took place outside the municipality’s administrative building.