Limassol authorities are grappling with a violent resurgence of organised crime following a weekend of bloodshed and retaliatory vandalism in the heart of the city’s busiest shopping district.
The violence erupted at approximately 7:00 pm on Saturday, 20 December, when a 36-year-old businessman was ambushed by three men while sitting outside a café on Anexartisias Street.
In a sophisticated and brutal attack, the assailants used electric stun guns to immobilise the victim before plunging a knife into his shoulder blade. The victim remains in critical condition, intubated in the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital, with doctors describing his situation as grave but stable.
The ambush appears to have triggered an immediate cycle of revenge. At 1:40 am on Monday, two masked individuals targeted a barbershop on the same street, smashing the glass storefront with rocks and ransacking the interior. The shop is owned by 30-year-old Mohamad Tleis, a Lebanese national for whom an arrest warrant has been issued in connection with the Saturday stabbing.
Assistant Police Chief Lefteris Kyriakou confirmed on Monday that investigators see a “probable link” between the attempted murder and the subsequent vandalism. Both the victim and the wanted suspect are known to the authorities for previous involvement in serious criminal activities. Information gathered by the Limassol Criminal Investigation Department (CID) suggests the conflict may be rooted in disputes over drug trafficking and illegal “protection” rackets.
“We have intensified police presence and patrols in the area to prevent further escalation,” Kyriakou stated, acknowledging that while 24-hour guards were placed at specific sites for a limited window, permanent protection of private property remains impossible.
The barbershop in question has a history of violence, having been the site of a 2020 shooting that left a young man with severe neck injuries. Detectives are currently reviewing extensive CCTV footage and forensic evidence to identify the remaining two attackers from the Saturday ambush, amid fears that Tleis may attempt to flee through the buffer zone into the occupied areas.
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Barbershop owned by attempted murder suspect attacked in Limassol
