New police terrorism unit set up

Police have setup a designated unit aimed at preventing terrorist attacks against Palestinians and Israelis in Cyprus in light of the ongoing war in Gaza, the force confirmed on Tuesday.

It is tasked with recording, collecting and analysing any information that could be connected to incidents against either of the two communities, with a broader aim to prevent any potential terrorist incidents.

According to a report in Politis, district police units are being reinforced with more staff while airports have national guard officers permanently staffed there.

Police sources confirmed the report to the Cyprus Mail, specifying senior police officers were briefed about the new unit, with headquarters issuing instructions to officers on how to handle any suspect information.

Meanwhile an internal investigation within the police is still ongoing over two lists that were leaked, naming Israeli entities in Limassol which were at risk of an attack.

One list was handwritten and another typed, and included companies, schools, restaurants and hotels that were either of Israeli interests or were popular with Israeli nationals.

The lists were prepared immediately after Hamas’ violent attack in Israel on October 7, where 1,200 people were massacred and over 200 taken hostage.

So far, the leak is believed to be linked to the ‘unprofessional behaviour’ of how they were distributed among police officers, which as a result led it to reach members of the public who shared it online.