Father uses bees as assault weapon against police

CHAOS ENSUED yesterday as law enforcement agencies tried to arrest suspected poachers, resulting in one police officer in hospital after being attacked by a swarm of bees. 
Conflicting reports of the incident painted a picture of absolute chaos in Mathiatis village. According to one report, members of the Game Fund and riot squad turned up at the village in the Nicosia district to investigate reports that poachers were active in the region. One of the houses they wanted to search was reportedly surrounded by beehives, placed there to prevent the police from entering.
At some point, the police located two people holding shotguns, one 16-year-old boy and a 39-year-old relative. The two were arrested on suspicion of poaching bee-eaters, a migratory bird known to eat, among other things, bees.
Pandemonium followed as the teenager’s father, Avraam Andreou grabbed a knife, allegedly threatening to hurt himself if police did not release his son. A police negotiator was brought to the scene who tried to calm the father down while the latter stood on a hilltop holding the knife and in full beekeeping gear.
At some point, in circumstances not yet clear, a beehive was thrown or dropped on the ground by the father, causing hundreds of bees to escape and attack the nearest targets they could find, which happened to be three policemen. One of the men was so badly stung, he had to be taken to hospital for treatment. The family told reporters that the bees escaped during an attempt to move the beehive. 
In all the confusion, the 16-year-old escaped from police custody, still wearing his handcuffs, causing greater consternation to the father who was still holding the knife and negotiating with police.
Andreou was quoted on Sigma news last night saying that a strong police force had barged into his house and that of a relative. He claimed that police had kicked his son when arresting him and caused him to bleed.
Speaking to the Sigma reporter before a camera, he explained that the knife he was holding was for beekeeping, not murder.
“This knife is for bees, it’s not for murder. We have a problem with the police, with the bee eaters that circulate around here daily, and have destroyed £30,000 (sic) of property. The government does not come to pay,” said the father.
“Police came using violence, kicking my son, here on his chest, and now he is missing and we can’t find him,” he added, in an emotionally-charged interview before police had a chance to approach him.
Andreou confessed that the family may have violated the laws, but that he did it to prevent his son from getting involved in drugs.
“We committed an illegal act. The child is missing. We have to find him. He has special needs, blood pouring on his face, we have to call (the authorities) to find him,” he said.
According to state broadcaster CyBC, the 39-year-old was taken to the local police station for questioning while the teenager had still not been found by police. The CyBC news crew managed to locate him later that evening, still wearing the handcuffs.
Sigma reported that when police finally made a search of the house, they only found four bee-eaters.

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