Police in Cyprus have revised their original account of a violent incident involving migrants in the Oroklini area, as six people have now been arrested in connection with the attack. The incident occurred last Saturday at a housing complex and resulted in a 27-year-old man being critically injured and a two-month-old baby being hospitalised.
The latest updates come after public concern and media inquiries questioned the initial police statement, which claimed that masked assailants had launched the attack. The police have now clarified that, based on updated witness statements and evidence, the individuals involved were wearing surgical masks rather than full disguises. When pressed, officials did not elaborate on why they were wearing the masks, saying that further investigation was ongoing.
Among those arrested are a 35-year-old Cypriot who remains in custody, two other Cypriots who were later released pending investigation, and three foreign nationals. Interestingly, the arrests of the two released Cypriots were not publicly disclosed in earlier reports. Authorities have also issued five additional arrest warrants—two for migrants and three for others believed to have been on-site during the violence.
Initial reports from court proceedings described about 15 individuals carrying knives and sharp tools during the attack. Police acknowledged that tools were found at the scene, but suggested some may have belonged to technicians working in the area. They have not ruled out the possibility that some tools were used in the violence, which they continue to investigate.
The clashes began at around 10:30 a.m. but escalated by 12:30 p.m., prompting police to call in reinforcements. According to authorities, some migrants began throwing stones at officers, which led the police to deploy tear gas to regain control of the situation.
The apartment complex in question was recently sold to a new company, which had earlier informed the Larnaca Municipality and police that it intended to remove the migrants “within the law.” The company claimed they had hired an individual—now among those arrested—who promised to handle the removals peacefully in return for payment and a “symbolic” fee for each resident.
Despite these prior notices, both the municipality and local police maintain they were not informed about any planned action on Saturday, the day the violence broke out. The housing complex, once crowded, now houses fewer than ten residents, with daily police visits continuing as the investigation proceeds.
Why did police initially say the attackers were masked and later change their statement?
Police said their early report was based on initial witness claims presented in court, which mentioned masked assailants. However, after further investigation and more detailed witness testimony, they concluded that the individuals were wearing surgical masks, not full disguises. The reason behind the mask-wearing remains under investigation.