By Charlie Charalambous
A 27-year-old labourer was remanded in police custody and another suspect was arrested yesterday in connection with Sunday’s anti-tank rocket attack on a Limassol cabaret.Petros Georgiou Koupepas, from Dymes, was remanded for eight days by Limassol district court and faces possible charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, and possessing a lethal weapon and ammunition for it.Koupepas denies any involvement.Following Koupepas’ court appearance police arrested car salesman Michalis Ioannou, 29, from Kato Polemidia, for questioning.Two other men are still being sought by police in connection with the attempted murder of club owner Sotiris Athinis.Police chief Andreas Angelides said he was “optimistic” that other arrests would be made and that the crime would be solved within the next 24 hours.He personally oversaw the investigation while visiting Limassol HQ yesterday.Police are treating the latest attack — on the Blue Pearl cabaret in Heroes Square — as part of a vendetta between rival underworld gangs.Extra officers have already been deployed in the area and additional patrols will cruise the island’s best known red light district after 11pm, in an attempt to discourage any further gangland violence.Limassol Mayor Demetris Kontides has vowed to close “problem cabarets”, plans to pedestrianise Heroes Square to prevent curb crawling, and to introduce more street lighting.Heroes Square recently received a much publicised facelift in an effort to rid the place of its gangster image.Justice Minister Nicos Koshis said yesterday he was studying a request from Kontides to establish a police station in the square in a concerted effort to clamp down on underworld crime.British bases personnel are banned from visiting the square for an off-duty drink in case they get caught in the crossfire of gangland violence.Athinis, 44, the target of Sunday’s missile attack was getting out his car outside the Blue Pearl when a 66mm anti-tank shell fired from a hand-held launcher exploded at the entrance.There were around 30 people inside watching the floor show at the time.The launcher and an unused rocket were discovered on the roof of a deserted hotel next to the cabaret.Investigators believe the shells and the launcher were stolen from the National Guard.It was the fourth attempt on the life of Athinis in recent years.Last August he was lightly injured when a bomb exploded at his Le Panache cabaret in Limassol.In 1995 his brother Melios was shot dead while driving his white BMW through Heroes Square.Athinis is one of five accused standing trial for the gangland murder of Hambis Aeroporos who was shot dead in Limassol last December.One policeman and a special constable are among those on trial for the murder.
