Maverick politician mugged in Brussels

COSTAS Kyriacou, better known as ‘Outopos,’ has claimed to be disillusioned with Europe after he was allegedly mugged outside a Brussels railway station last weekend.

The quirky figure was in the Belgian capital distributing his political manifesto, a leaflet outlining his vision of a “New Earth.”

‘Outopos’ ran in two presidential elections as well as in the last European Parliament elections, claiming in each case that the vote was rigged.

Last Sunday, Kyriacou was sleeping in a park nearby the Brussels station when he was assaulted. He claims his assailants battered him, stole his money and passport and left him half-naked and unconscious.

“They tried to grab my luggage, and when they realised that it was locked they knocked me to the ground and start punching…I passed out immediately…” Kyriacou told the Cyprus News Agency.

On regaining consciousness a bruised Kyriacou trudged back to the railway station, where authorities called an ambulance that took him to a hospital for tests.

He was then escorted to the Cypriot Embassy, which issued new travel documents, gave him some cash and put him on a plane back to Cyprus.

“This incident has given me a real picture of Europe, contrary to the one we are usually presented with,” a bitter Kyriacou added.

According to the aspiring statesman, before going to Brussels he had spent a week in Athens promoting his political manifesto, which he mailed to television stations, newspapers, Greeks MPs and even the Greek Prime Minister.

The next stop on his tour was the CERN laboratory in Switzerland, he claims, where he also handed out copies of his leaflets. It is not clear how or whether he gained access to the facility.

“From CERN I went to Thessaloniki, and from there I took the train to Brussels,” Kyriacou explained.

“I was planning on leaving Brussels last Friday, but I missed the flight.”