Second arrest made over torching of police car

Police in Limassol made a second arrest on Wednesday in connection with the torching of a police car on Easter Saturday night.

Limassol police spokesman Lefteris Kyriakou explained that the arrestee is a 19-year-old male, and that he will be brought before the Limassol court on Thursday to be remanded.

The first arrest, of a 21-year-old man, was made on Tuesday. He was remanded for four days on Wednesday.

The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Kyriakou had on Sunday described the torching of the police car, which took place near the Limassol village of Ypsonas, as an “organised attack”.

The car had been set on fire when police responded to a call regarding youths congregating with Molotov cocktails in hand.

Police had been informed that youths had been throwing Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at passing vehicles.

Riot police arrived on the scene and were subsequently attacked by about 100 people throwing Molotov cocktails, firecrackers and rocks at them. They deployed tear gas to disperse the crowds, but not before the group had set fire to one of the police vehicles.

Four other police cars sustained material damage in the incident.

Kyriakou added that that he believes the attack was a direct response to the heightened police presence and increased checks carried out in recent days ahead of the Easter period.