Tip-off leads police to hooligan weapons cache

POLICE yesterday seized firecrackers, Molotov bombs and razorblades hidden in potatoes outside the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, just hours before a local derby between arch rivals APOEL and Omonia kicked off.

The police had taken over the stadium at 2pm yesterday, as part of a pre-arrangement between all sporting bodies to avert violent scenes.

Officers located the dangerous materials after a young fan called police and warned them of what a number of hooligans were planning.

Thankfully there wasn’t any more trouble during or after the game, which ended with a 2-1 victory for league leaders APOEL, who are now considered this year’s unofficial champions.

Referring to the young man who informed police about the weapons, the head of GSP’s Security, Panicos Demosthenous said, “I would like to thank him; this indicates that even youths trust the police”.

He added, “It is criminal what could have happened here today. If these razor-laden potatoes were thrown, imagine what would have happened. Who would they have hit?

“Us, you and children who would have come to watch the match with their parents.”

Before the kick-off Demosthenous assured football fans, “with certainty”, that anyone entering the stadium would be checked and the match would be carried out under the utmost security.

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.