Two arrested in separate knife attacks

Two men were arrested on assault charges over the weekend in two separate knife incidents in Larnaca and Limassol.

According to local media, a 48-year-old male was arrested Monday early morning after hospital staff notified police about an ambulance call to a place of lodging in Limassol. It was not clarified whether the location was a hostel, inn, or another type of room and board accommodation.

It later emerged that a 44-year-old man described as Greek Cypriot was reportedly injured Sunday evening around 9:30pm when he was allegedly attacked by a Romanian man armed with a knife. The victim was rushed to the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital, where doctors said a tendon on his forearm had been cut.

The victim also told police that he had acid thrown on his face exactly one week earlier, pointing to the same attacker as the perpetrator. Reports said the man had visited the hospital on August 11 with redness and swelling over his right eye.

Earlier Sunday night, another male suspect was arrested in Larnaca after he reportedly attacked a senior citizen with a knife. Police said a 60-year-old male was arrested on assault charges after he was identified as a suspect in a knife attack where an 84-year-old man was stabbed in his own backyard in Larnaca.

Both men were described as Greek Cypriots, with reports saying police officers arrived at the scene where the 60-year-old surrendered the knife.

The 84-year-old male was rushed to the Emergency Room at Larnaca General Hospital where doctors said he had a knife injury in the lower left loin. The stab wound was said to be 2 centimetres wide and 3.5 centimetres deep. He was later released from hospital.

Police said the 60-year-old man admitted the crime while a Larnaca judge ordered him to be remanded in custody for five days.