Turks arrest four over triple murder in the south

FOUR men were arrested in the occupied areas yesterday in connection with the triple murder of Elmas ‘Guzelyurtlu’ Ali and his family on the Nicosia-Larnaca highway last Saturday.

Turkish Cypriot ‘police’ arrested two of the men at the Agios Dhometios checkpoint after they attempted to pass into the south using false identity cards. The other two were arrested later on in the day elsewhere in the north.

The lawyer of the two men has stated that they have confessed to trying to enter the south with false identity cards but have denied any involvement in the murder of the family.
The other two men are reported to have attended Guzelyurtlu’s funeral, with one of the men reported to be the head of security at his casino in the north as well as Guzelyurtlu’s own personal bodyguard. The other three suspects are believed to work at the same casino.

The four are being held in two ‘police’ stations in the north, in Morphou and in Nicosia. There are reports that another three suspects are currently being sought by Turkish Cypriot ‘police’.

A Turkish Cypriot ‘police’ official said yesterday that investigations were continuing, while Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat called on the Greek Cypriots to assist them with the ongoing investigations, adding that the assistance from the United Nations Military Police has not been enough.

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