Police still seeking suspect after man disappears

Limassol district court on Tuesday renewed for eight days the remand of a 35-year-old man arrested on suspicion of abducting and planning the murder of 31-year-old Ahmed Zaidan from Syria.

He has denied any connection to the case.

Ahmed Zaidan has been missing from his home in Mouttayiaka, Limassol, since February 14.

Police suspect the motive behind the Syrian man’s abduction are financial differences and drug dealing.

For the same case, police are looking for 29-year-old Mohammed Shafeeq Mohammed Mohammed from Iraq who escaped from police detention in the north for illegal gun possession.

According to the authorities, who suspect the missing man has been murdered. The wanted suspect apparently texted a friend of Zaidan that she should stop looking for her friend as “he was a snake and we took his head” and he is “with angels”.

Zaidan received a call by a person of Arab descent asking to meet him on February 14, the day he disappeared. His phone was turned off and his car was found parked at the meeting place.

Investigations have revealed the missing man did not cross to the north, nor did he leave the country. A search of his house revealed no intention to travel.

A witness, who lives in Erimi village, testified to hearing gunshots and seeing three people verbally arguing in an open space on February 14, while one of them tried to run away. The witness heard another two gunshots while they tried to call the police.

According to the witness, two of the men then put the third man, dressed in white, the same colour Zaidan was wearing when he went missing, in the boot of the car and left.

The wanted 29-year-old Mohammed is described as being of normal build with short black hair, approximately 1.80m tall, with a scar under his left eye.