Nightclub stabbing less clear after police find knife

A suspect in an attempted murder investigation at a nightclub in Nicosia says he had nothing to do with a fight where another customer and a bouncer sustained knife injuries, with reports saying police were dusting a military combat knife for fingerprints in connection with the case.

According to local media, a 30-year-old Nigerian male was remanded in custody for eight days after his arrest on Monday in connection with a stabbing incident the previous night inside a nightclub in Engomi in west Nicosia.

The suspect had walked into a police station after law enforcement authorities published his photo in connection with an ongoing murder investigation following the stabbing incident on Sunday night.

Local media said the suspect had fled the scene after the injured customer, described as a 24-year-old male also from Nigeria, was wounded in the stomach while the bouncer was stabbed in the chest.

The bouncer reportedly told investigators he had seen the two African males fighting and he got stabbed in the chest when he tried to break it up.

But the customer has yet to corroborate the bouncer’s account.

According to Philenews, the 24-year-old Nigerian man is out of immediate danger following emergency surgery at Nicosia General Hospital. But investigators were still waiting for the young man to recuperate before asking him to make a statement, the daily network added.

The suspect, described as an asylum seeker, has reportedly admitted he was at the scene during the incident but denied any involvement in the crime under investigation.

Police spokesperson Christos Andreou, who was asked by a TV news anchor on Monday whether investigators had located a knife, declined to confirm that a knife had been found during a search of the suspect’s home.

“There was a search at his place of residence where some items were picked up as evidence,” Andreou said, adding that “other evidence was still being sought in connection with the case.”

A day later things became less clear when it emerged that police had indeed located a serrated knife but it was unclear whether it was linked to the suspect.

Philenews reported on Tuesday that police had in their possession a military knife with a serrated spine that was to undergo fingerprint as well as DNA tests.

A serrated knife, known as a tactical knife or mini saw that can cut through different materials, has teeth on one side of the blade that make survival in the rugged outdoors easier.