Police: 22-year-old masterminded Kalogeropoulos murder (Update 3)

By Iole Damaskinos and Tom Cleaver

Police believe the 22-year-old arrested in the early hours of Friday morning in relation with the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos helped organise the assassination plan and helped transport the killers to and from the scene, it was revealed on Friday.

Speaking to journalists, Limassol police chief Lefteris Kyriacou said “based on the testimonies we have collected so far, there is reasonable suspicion that the 22-year-old was involved in the whole case.”

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old suspect, believed to be the motorcycle passenger seen on CCTV footage after the getaway car was set on fire, handed himself in to police in Larnaca on Friday afternoon.

He was accompanied by his lawyer, and he is expected to be transferred to Limassol for questioning.

Earlier, in court in Limassol, the 22-year-old was remanded in custody for eight days. Court proceedings were brief, as the police’s requests were not read.

The suspect spoke through his lawyer, saying he has “nothing to do with the offences” for which he has been arrested.

He had been taken to court under tight police security, while a manhunt for a further suspect continues.

The man, a resident of Larnaca, wore a bulletproof vest to court, while only lawyers and journalists were allowed into the courtroom.

There were tense scenes outside the courthouse as relatives and friends of Kalogeropoulos watched on and jeered as the suspect was driven into the premises in the back of a police van.

Testimony against the 22-year-old was obtained from sources other than two suspects already on remand, police spokesman Lefteris Kyriacou had earlier said.

Meanwhile, police carried out surprise dawn raids at the central prison in an attempt to gather more information about the murders of Kalogeropoulos and Alexis Mavromichalis, both last week.

Searches were carried out in the cells of two prisoners, with police looking for mobile phones and other items which may aid their investigation.

Police had already identified the 41-year-old driver of the motorbike, who was remanded with another 44-year-old suspect on Sunday.

A motive for the murders is still being sought and police are continuing intense efforts to clarify whether the killers were under orders from someone else.

The two previously arrested were remanded in custody for eight days on Sunday for the murder of Kalogeropoulos, who was shot 10 times in broad daylight in Limassol on October 30 while on the way to his morning swim.

The 41-year-old is suspected of being one of the two murderers while the 44-year-old allegedly provided aid and sheltered the executioners before and after the crime.

The court heard that one of the suspects met with Kalogeropoulos ten days prior to the murder, according to what he told police, to discuss illegal gambling activities.

The getaway motorbike used by the suspects was recorded on CCTV, however police said earlier the footage was of poor quality and they were searching for additional footage from other cameras before confirming the murderers’ identities.

Elsewhere, police are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of Mavromichalis, and are seeking to determine to whom he spoke in the hours leading up to his murder, and whether he received threats.

Mavromichalis, also known as Alexoui, was shot a day after Kalogeropoulos while standing on the balcony of his apartment in Nicosia.