Turkish Cypriot journalists taken to see Tekke damage

SEVENTEEN Turkish Cypriot and Turkish journalists visited the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque yesterday to see the damage caused to the shrine in an August 29 arson attack.

The government has strongly condemned the attack, which is estimated to have caused £1,680 in damage.

Police press officer Glafcos Xenos said yesterday additional safety measures were being employed at the site since the fire and that the police was considering installing fencing, an alarm system and close circuit television surveillance.

Twelve people — Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and foreign — have so far been questioned in connection with the fire, although no arrests have been made.

Xenos said yesterday police would carry DNA testing on fingerprints found at the mosque, as well as on the petrol cans used to start the blaze.

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.