Traffic camera officials shot at while on duty (updated)

Police in Nicosia are investigating attempted murder, after two officials operating traffic cameras were shot at with a hunting rifle in Kokkinotrimithia, authorities said on Friday.

According to police, at 11:35pm on Thursday night, while the on duty officials were parked on a section of the Kokkinotrimithia-Nicosia highway, they heard two loud shots.

Following the rifle fire, the driver, a 44-year-old officer saw that his 32-year-old partner’s window had been damaged.

The 44-year-old rushed them both to Nicosia General, as they had sustained injuries.

Doctors at the hospital said that they both had abrasions on their heads. They were treated and released.

According to initial checks on the vehicle, police say it was damaged with a hunting rifle. The attackers appear to have been on an adjacent road, not the highway itself.

The scene was cordoned off, and the car transferred to Nicosia police HQ for further investigations.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou described the incident as “very serious”.

The Sek union condemned the attack on the vehicle and their two workers.

They called on the police to investigate the matter further and to arrest the individuals responsible.

“We hope that this particular incident will be the last that happens against the employees of the company that has undertaken the task of managing the traffic camera system,” they said.