A Syrian is on trial for the murder of two tourists in Cyprus with mysterious motives
Cypriot police announced that a suspect of Syrian nationality will be tried for the murder of two foreign women whose bodies were found on Sunday in a mountain village in the center of the island.
The 32-year-old suspect, whose identity was not revealed by the police, was initially arrested on charges of kidnapping the two women, before later helping the police to locate their bodies, after a days-long search.
According to the official Cyprus News Agency, the two victims are Maria Gazibagandova (33 years), from the Republic of Dagestan, and Hayat Al-Raisi (43 years), from Syria.
The missing women were reported, who were reported by Cypriot media to have come to the island for tourism on November 17.
"The police used all available means (...) to locate them, but (...) it was impossible to find them without his indication," police chief Stelio Papatiodoro told reporters.
"Unfortunately, the police's fears and suspicions were confirmed," he added.
The police chief indicated that "according to the suspect, he committed the crime alone, and according to his statements, he shot them with a hunting rifle," without revealing his motives.
Investigators said the suspect, who was arrested last week, was able to reach the mountain house in Troodos in central Cyprus, where blood belonging to one of the two victims was found.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on Monday, charged with premeditated murder.
In 2021, Cypriot police faced accusations of neglect and racism after the disappearance of seven women and children from the Philippines, Romania and Nepal who were victims of a serial killer between 2016 and 2018.
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