A 15-centimetre metal dagger was found inside the car of a man who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the police said on Sunday.

The announcement was made following the court hearing of two men who had been arrested together on Saturday in Paphos. One, a 33-year-old, had been wanted in connection with an attempted murder, while the other, a 35-year-old was riding in a car alongside him when the arrest was made.

In addition to the dagger, various tools which could have been used to carry out a break-in were found in the car.

Both men were remanded in custody for eight days.

The pair had been arrested on Saturday after the police had, according to the Paphos police’s assistant operations director Michalis Nikolaou, placed a block of flats in the town under “discreet surveillance” after discovering that 33-year-old and a 39-year-old who was wanted in connection with a robbery were living in it.

At around 12.25pm on Saturday, the trio got into a car and left. The car was stopped by the police shortly thereafter, and all three attempted to escape, with the police discharging their weapons during the incident.

The 33-year-old and the 35-year-old were both arrested, but the 39-year-old escaped, and is yet to be apprehended.

The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.