Police arrest second suspect in connection to boys’ abduction

Police arrested a 41-year-old man on Friday in connection to the kidnapping of the two 11-year-old boys from a Larnaca school on Tuesday.

The man was arrested on the charge of intervening the judicial process.

A police source said that the 41-year-old attempted to influence a doctor to tell police that he was treating the 35-year-old who is in custody for the abduction.  However, the 35-year-old was never in the care of the said doctor.

According to a statement given by the 35-year-old suspect, the 41-year-old is a nurse and was able to obtain prescriptions for sedatives, which were also used on the boys.

On Thursday, the two boys were discharged from Larnaca General after medical tests were conducted on them.  The tests found that there were no signs of abuse, but that the boys had been given Lorazepam, which is sold under the brand name Ativan among others, and treats anxiety disorders and induces sleep.

After a hearing on Wednesday, the man was remanded in custody for eight days. He is being held in an undisclosed location. He has no previous criminal record nor any previous run-ins with the law.

Education minister Costas Hambiaouris has asked school authorities for a detailed report on the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping of two boys from a Larnaca school earlier this week.

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