Akhtar brothers could face charges in Greece too

THE AKHTAR brothers will also face charges from the Greek authorities to add to the charges expected to be brought against them by the Cypriot police, it emerged yesterday.

The Greek authorities are believed to be charging the two brothers who had been on the run since August 3 last year for using false documents to enter the country.

Elias and Giorgos Akhtar, 23 and 28, had managed to obtain Lithuanian passports while in Turkey, where they had escaped to after fleeing from the occupied areas last summer.

The Cypriot police had been on the hunt for the two brothers after they seriously injured two police officers after viciously attacking them with swords, following a search of their Limassol home for drugs and weapons.

According to press reports in Greece, this new charge that they are set to face in Mykonos could delay their extradition to Cyprus, which had been expected to be completed within a week.

Police Chief Iacovos Papacostas said yesterday that the Cypriot police were ready to dispatch a unit to deal with the transportation of the brothers to Cyprus as soon as they were notified by the Greek authorities.

The duo, considered to be among Cyprus’ most wanted criminals, were arrested in Greek island Mykonos on Sunday night after being identified by two Cypriot police officers who were on holiday on the popular tourist spot with their families.

They are wanted by police in Cyprus on various charges, including those of causing grievous bodily harm, aggravated assault, resisting police arrest as well as illegal possession of weapons and using a weapon with intent to threaten.

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.