ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2023) Cypriot intelligence agencies, in cooperation with their US and Israeli counterparts, recently thwarted a terrorist attack allegedly aimed at killing citizens of Jewish descent, Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros reported on Sunday, citing sources in the know.
The perpetrators are believed to be members of intelligence services allegedly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of the Iranian armed forces, the report said. This is the second such operation since 2021, when an Azeri with a Russian passport was arrested on suspicion of acting in the interests of the IRGC, the newspaper said.
Cypriot intelligence services were closely monitoring the suspects' activities over the past few months and the attack was prevented recently, the newspaper said, without specifying the date. The report said that "a network of terrorists" was at work, apparently using the "occupied territories" � the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus � as a departing point for their recruits.
The main perpetrator of the planned attack had been identified and was under constant surveillance, which "contributed to the fact" that the person did not carry out the attack against Israelis. Although the culprit escaped, the equipment he used was seized and may help identify the person and provide sufficient data for an international arrest warrant, the Phileleftheros newspaper said.
An official is quoted as saying in the report that by foiling the terrorist attack, the Republic of Cyprus is sending a message that it has zero tolerance for such activities. There should be no illusions that Cyprus is a "weak link" due to security loopholes caused by Northern Cyprus, the source said.
Cyprus will not allow anyone to turn it into a field for terrorist actions, nor does it want to get involved in regional conflicts, the official was quoted as saying in the report. The Republic of Cyprus does not stand against any country and despite the fact that dissatisfaction is expressed with the Iranian stance, Nicosia intends to keep all channels of communication and understanding open with Tehran.
Nicosia deems it important to cooperate with other services of friendly countries, with which there is coordination where and when necessary, the newspaper said.
