Police probe video threatening officers, court employees

Cyprus police on Friday said they have taken protective measures after they received a video showing a group of masked armed men threatening officers and court employees over alleged false witnesses.

The 27-second silent video depicts seven people who have their faces covered and are holding different types of guns, officer Eleni Constantinou from the police’s communications branch told the Cyprus Mail on Friday.

One of them is holding an A4 white paper with a series of typed demands, signed ‘Alpha brotherhood’.

According to that piece of paper, which is shown in the video posted by Politis website, the group claimed police are paying arrestees to testify against other criminals.

“We demand the cancellation of the false witness testimony who…are in the witness protection programme in Cyprus,” the group said, and asked for the return of those witnesses to the central prison.

They also demanded the cancellation of any financial support provided to those witnesses, and to “reveal the amount of all payments with agreed deals”.

All “corrupt officers” who collaborate with those alleged false witnesses should be prosecuted the group added.

At the end, they explain that if their requests are accepted, “we guarantee you will live in peace”, otherwise “there will be violence”.

They said they will target false witnesses and their families, corrupt officers and their families as well as anyone who supports false witnesses, such as prosecutors, lawyers and court translators.

“We call on all honourable people to stand up against false witnesses,” the group added.

Constantinou said police received the video on January 29 this year.

“As soon as we received the video we communicated with the cybercrime department, the chief of police and other relevant police departments for investigation.”

She said from the data they have collected so far it shows the video was recorded abroad but she could not specify a region or country.

However, “there is nothing specific to suggest who the people implicated in the creation of the video are,” the officer added.

She explained that police are taking protective measures, which include the people under witness protection, despite the fact the threats did not target a specific person.

“We cannot elaborate further, all possibilities are being investigated,” Constantinou said.