Cyprus arrests eight on suspicion of funding terrorism, say police

Police in Cyprus detained eight individuals for questioning on Thursday after allegations that they were involved in raising funds for a designated terrorist group in a third country, Reuters has reported.

The suspects, seven men and a woman, all from Syria, were arrested in morning raids by police in the towns of Limassol and Paphos. There was no indication that the suspects were plotting attacks themselves and police declined to name the terrorist group or where it is based.

“There is absolutely no information that these individuals were planning any terror attack in Cyprus,” police spokesperson Christos Andreou told ANT1 TV channel. “It’s purely [related to] issues of financing a specific terrorist group based in a third country.”

One issue under scrutiny is whether funds were raised from dealing in illicit narcotics and psychotropic substances, he added.

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