POLICE were yesterday no closer to identifying the origin of explosive devices found in a car park near the Ledra Palace checkpoint in Nicosia on Monday.
Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said it had not yet been established whether the explosives were destined for the underworld or had been placed there to intimidate. Thousands of mostly Turkish Cypriots cross the checkpoint each day.
The issue was very serious and it “had to be resolved”, the minister stressed.
Theodorou said the explosive used in the self-improvised devices was C3, which was never used by the underworld or the army or any authority in the south, at least since records began being kept in 1995.
“It is the first time the police came across this type of explosive device.
“This, of course, is a clue,” he added.
The devices were found by the minder of the parking lot, Ekrem Karadayi, who immediately notified the police. They were placed in milk cartons printed in Turkish.
The bomb squad destroyed the devices by shooting pressurised water at them with a special device.
“It looks like they are from a certain industry in the occupied areas that bottles fresh milk,” Theodorou said.
But he was quick to add that there are no leads for the time being concerning “who, when and for what reason the two explosive mechanisms were brought over”.
“This is exactly what we are investigating and I hope the police would be in a position to enlighten us after questioning the people who have any involvement with the matter,” the minister said.
He warned the media not to jump into any conclusions, which could lead to the creation of a negative climate.
“This is a serious case; not least because it’s two bombs.
“Bombs are found here and there often and either they explode or they don’t, but the place they were found makes the incident very important, Theodorou said.
He stressed that the government would not allow a return to the 1960s: “A return to the periods, in which people suffered would not be allowed,” Theodorou said.
Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday that there were no leads yet “but if it was a malicious act, it hurt every effort for co-operation and understanding between the two communities”.
The incident was widely reported in the Turkish Cypriot press, with nationalist Volcan suggesting that the devices were planted by “Greek Cypriot fanatics who wanted to intimidate the Turks who cross to the south and the Greek Cypriots and tourists who cross to the north”.
