Police story not good enough for health expert

A member of the coronavirus task force has drawn a connection between his role in the pandemic and a recent incident when his car was vandalized, while police said the incident appeared to be a random act.

According to local media, well-known virology professor Leondios Kostrikis filed a police complaint over the weekend, saying unknown individuals sprayed slogans on his vehicle on Saturday night.

Kostrikis, an American-trained scientist and NYU alumni who joined the University of Cyprus in 2003, said perpetrators spray-painted slogans on his vehicle that was parked outside his residence in Nicosia, but he did not reveal details about the taglines.

Adam Sandler’s former roommate went on to say that he did not believe the incident was a random act of vandalism.

“They knew full well what they were doing, there were many cars and walls out there but they picked my vehicle,” said Kostrikis, who was targeted earlier this year by an anti-vaxxer who was later fined in a court of law.

But police spokesperson Christos Andreou told media the car incident appeared to be a random act of vandalism, with additional reports making references to a local football club that was not named.

Andreou went on to say that a school building nearby was also burglarized on the same night, with his comments suggesting it could have been juveniles, adding that security camera footage from the area was being sought and examined.

“I’m not going to stop doing my job because someone vandalized my car. It’s my property and I got to own it after hard work,” Kostrikis said.

But the professor was not the only member of the coronavirus task force who had concerns, after colleague Petros Karayiannis also came forward to say he had received threatening messages.

Karayiannis, who is also well-known for his role in advising the government on measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, said he got text messages on his mobile phone but did not go to the police.