The two defendants, aged 41 and 33, for armed attempted robberies at a bank branch in Kiti on June 19 and at a jewelry store in Larnaca on July 6. The court will rule tomorrow, Friday, on whether they will remain in custody until the trial begins on October 7.

The suspects are a 41-year-old European citizen and a 33-year-old third-country national. The trial before the Larnaca Permanent Criminal Court is scheduled for October 7 at 8:30 a.m.

The charges facing the two defendants include attempted armed bank robbery, attempted armed jewelry store robbery, possession of explosives, carrying a weapon, causing serious bodily injury, theft of license plates, and conspiracy to commit a felony.

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The defense attorneys for the two defendants filed an objection to their clients remaining in custody until the trial begins.

The defense attorney for one of the defendants, Andriana Klaidi, stated that she objected to his detention because she considered the evidence to be incomplete. “The likelihood of a conviction is remote,” since the large amount of evidence found does not link her client to the crime through either DNA or fingerprints.

READ ALSO: would-be jewelry store robber shot the owner with a pistol and wounded him in the head

Ms. Klaidi stated that “eyewitnesses describe the individuals involved in the attempted bank robbery as young people. Some describe them as being 20 years old, while others say they were between 20 and 35 years old, of average build, and speaking Greek—details that do not match my client’s characteristics.”

The defense attorney for the other defendant also filed an objection to his client’s detention, arguing that his prior convictions do not constitute sufficient grounds for his detention, as he stated. He also echoed the points made by the defense attorney for the first defendant.

It should be noted that, according to the police, “on June 19, in the early afternoon, a vehicle in which, at first glance, two people were riding pulled up outside a bank branch in Kiti. The two exited the vehicle and, with their faces covered and carrying bags that appeared to be sports bags, proceeded to the bank’s entrance, which did not open due to the security system.”

“After a few seconds, they got back into the vehicle they had arrived in and drove away.”

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Regarding the second case, it is recalled that “on July 6, at 9:00 a.m., the Larnaca Criminal Investigation Department received a report of an attempted robbery at a jewelry store in Larnaca”.

According to the report, “an unknown individual, who was wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt and a food delivery company vest and was wearing a black full-face motorcycle helmet, entered a jewelry store and pointed a pistol at the 73-year-old owner.”

“The owner fought back, prompting the assailant to strike him on the head with the pistol, causing a contusion. However, the owner managed to push him out of the store,” the police announced.

The assailant fled in a vehicle that was waiting for him outside the store; according to the investigation so far, the vehicle was driven by another unidentified person, likely a foreign national, according to the statement. The 73-year-old victim was taken to the hospital, where his wound was sutured, and he was subsequently discharged.

Source: CNA