Suspected prison guard arsonist remanded

The prison guard who was arrested on suspicion of arson was remanded for eight days on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old man was brought before the Nicosia district court and accused of a total of three arson attacks – the one which he carried out in the early hours of Monday morning, another arson attack on a car, and a suspected arson attack on a children’s play park.

The case’s investigator said in court that a “pattern of action” had emerged in all three cases. The man, he said, had gone to and from the scene of each arson attack on foot, and CCTV footage from all three arson attacks had shown a man with the same body type arriving and leaving.

The investigator added that the suspect had verbally admitted to his crimes. Additionally, he said a total of 13 statements regarding the crimes are set to be taken.

The police are still examining CCTV footage from the scenes of all three arson attacks, while they will also examine CCTV footage from local petrol stations.

They believe that he may have been involved in as many as “10 to 15 cases” of arson which took place in recent months.

The man had been arrested on Monday after having allegedly set fire to a car at around 4.20am in Strovolos.

When police began their investigation into the matter, they found a vehicle in the area which was “moving suspiciously”.

They pulled the car over and found a balaclava, a pair of gloves, and a bottle containing traces of what was believed to be a flammable liquid inside.