June 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Cypriot security forces have thwarted an attempted attack allegedly directed against Israeli citizens residing on the island and that would be related to the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s elite military and ideological body.
The suspects would have reached the Greek Cypriot side from the Turkish Cypriot side taking advantage of unguarded points on the border, according to the Cypriot newspaper ‘Phileleftheros’.
The Cypriot secret services followed the individuals for several months with the collaboration of other intelligence agencies from allied countries -mainly the United States and Israel- and thus managed to thwart the attempted attack.
The main person in charge of the plan was constantly watched, which prevented any attack. He finally managed to escape, but the Police have been able to seize the material he was handling. An international arrest warrant is expected to be issued against the main suspect.
Government sources from ‘Phileleftheros’ have stressed that this intervention also implies a message of “zero tolerance” from Cyprus with respect to an alleged “weak point” or “security hole” due to the division of the island.
“The country is not going to get involved in regional conflicts,” he stressed. Although there is some discomfort with Iran, Nicosia hopes to keep all communication channels open, she explained.
This attempt would be related to other previous attempts to attack the responsibility of the same terrorist network. In these operations, an Azeri accused of working for Iran to attack Israeli citizens was arrested two years ago.
