Bazooka attack suspects released

FOUR men being held in connection with the attempted murder of a Limassol cabaret owner were released without charge yesterday.

Petros Georgiou Koupepas, 27, Michalis Ioannou, 29, Antonis Loizou, 21, and Pavlos Hadjicostas, 27, were freed yesterday after police failed to find any substantial evidence against them. The were the only suspects to have been arrested in connection with the case.

The men had been arrested after an eye-witness identification put them in the area of the victim’s cabaret an hour before the attack. But scientific examinations failed to turn up any finger prints or DNA traces on the weapon or at the scene of the September 5 crime.

Sotiris Athinis, 44, narrowly survived the fourth attempt against his life in recent years, when a LOW anti-tank missile whizzed passed him as he was entering his cabaret in Limassol’s Heroes Square.

The launcher and an unused shell were found on the roof of the deserted Panorama hotel overlooking Athinis’ Blue Pearl cabaret. Two bottles of water, found next to the launcher, also failed to provide police with any new information.

In 1995, Athinis’ brother Melios was gunned down in Heroes Square. Athinis is one of five suspects currently standing trial in connection with the gangland murder of Hambis Aeroporos, who was gunned down in Limassol last December.

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