Policeman suspended after shooting

THE LIMASSOL policeman who shot a suspect in the town on Wednesday has been suspended, pending the outcome of an investigation.

The incident happened when two traffic patrol men in Paphos Street stopped a car containing two foreigners for a routine check. One man who jumped out was pursued by the officer who fired what were described as three warning shots.

A Syrian named as Mohammed Abdullah was hit by a bullet in the arm and chest, and is now in a serious condition in Limassol hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.

The police officer, Panayiotis Philippou, has been suspended and has had his pistol confiscated.

Police told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Abdullah’s residence permit had expired at the end of June, and that he was therefore considered to be an illegal immigrant at the time of the incident.

A police spokesman would not comment on why the officer had fired his weapon, saying that the case was under investigation by Limassol CID.

Police are still searching for the second man who ran away from the car when it was stopped.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.