Syrians arrested for smuggling double-cab vans to Turkey

TWO Syrian nationals were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of smuggling double cabin vans, with media reports suggesting the two may have ties to Islamic extremists.

Under questioning, the two men, aged 46 and 39, admitted to smuggling vans into the occupied areas and exporting them from Kyrenia harbour.

Both – permanent residents of Cyprus – have reportedly denied being linked to Islamic groups.

According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), police believe Syria to have been the vans’ intended final destination, to be used by Islamic State militants there.

Authorities also suspect the men of having funnelled cash to terrorist groups, CNA reported.

The arrests were made following a joint sting operation by the Criminal Investigation Department, the Crime Prevention Unit and the Police Rapid Response Unit (MMAD).

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.