The Larnaca Permanent Criminal Court today acquitted and cleared the three Syrian nationals, aged 24, 25, and 27, who had been brought to trial for the attempted murder of a 30-year-old Syrian man in Korno on January 9, 2025.
The attempted murder occurred on the afternoon of January 9, when the 30-year-old was shot while in his vehicle in Korno. He was wounded in his right arm and right shoulder and managed to escape, subsequently going to a private clinic in Limassol.
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According to the details of the case, the 30-year-old had traveled to Korno from Paphos to meet an unknown man who had contacted him via WhatsApp and expressed interest in buying his vehicle.
The perpetrators were traveling in a black BMW, which is believed to have been used in the attack and was found abandoned the next day in Alethriko.
The three defendants faced a total of six charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, possession and transportation of a firearm, as well as possession and transportation of explosives. All three had pleaded not guilty.
The Court, having examined the factual evidence presented before it, found that it had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the three defendants were aware of the perpetrators’ intent or that they acted as their accomplices.
The decision states that “based on the Prosecuting Authority’s initial version of events, the admissible testimony presented by the Prosecution, and our final findings, Defendants 1, 2, and 3 were not passengers in the perpetrators’ vehicle.”
The Criminal Court also notes that “it is not possible to reach a definitive conclusion” that the three acted as accomplices to the perpetrators, with the intent to murder the 30-year-old, and ruled that, despite the evidence presented, reasonable doubt remained regarding the three defendants’ involvement in the attempted murder. Consequently, all three were acquitted and cleared of all charges against them.
Special mention is made of the case of the third defendant, who was the owner of the BMW. The Court notes that “the prosecution did not even attempt to place Defendant 3 at the scene of the crime or, at the very least, in the wider area of the village of Kornos on the day of the incident in question,” nor was he linked to the perpetrators, “whose identities remain unknown to this day.”
With regard to the first defendant, the Court considered, among other things, the fact that his cell phone was found at the scene and bore genetic material linking him to it. However, it ruled that this evidence was insufficient to prove that he was aware of or collaborated with the perpetrators.
Regarding the second defendant, the Court examined his presence in Korno at the time in question, as well as other facts linking him temporally to the area and the perpetrators’ vehicle. However, it ruled that there was no conclusive evidence that he knew the perpetrators or that he provided them with any assistance.
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