Gang of teen robbers attack asylum seeker

FOUR teenagers, two 14-year-olds, one 15-year-old and one 16-year-old attacked and robbed a 30-year-old asylum seeker from Egypt in a Limassol street, police said yesterday.

The armed robbery took place at approximately 8pm on Thursday, when the 30-year-old was walking along Ayion Panton street in Limassol. The man, who at the time was counting his money, was approached by the four youths who were riding bicycles. One of the boys was holding a knife, and a second boy had a chain which he used to hit the 30-year-old allover his body. The victim fell on the floor and the gang took his wallet with €557 in cash and his mobile phone.

The victim then got up and chased his attackers, while an onlooker called the police. The 30-year-old managed to catch two of the boys, while the other two fled. They were later arrested by police and identified by the 30-year-old. The boys returned the mobile phone but said they were no longer in possession of the money.

The 30-year-old was taken to Limassol General Hospital as he sustained bruises all over his body. He was given first aid treatment and released. The four teenagers are in remand.

All of the boys attend school in Limassol.

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.