An Irish man accused of assisting in a murder-for-hire plot remains in custody in Cyprus despite a decision to release and deport most of his co-accused.
The 33-year-old Limerick man was arrested on August 28th last following an undercover operation on the Mediterranean island. Cypriot police accuse him of channelling money to the purported hitman, who was in fact an undercover Danish police officer.
Prosecutors say criminals were attempting to organise the murder of two British twins who were visiting the island on holidays and to take part in mixed martial arts events.
Investigators believe the plot was ordered by veteran criminals closely linked to the Kinahan organised crime group.
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The Irish man was arrested along with two Norwegian men. All three had recently arrived on the island.
When the plot was foiled, a second five-man hit team from Sweden was sent to the island at the start of September to finish the job, police alleged last week. They were also arrested.
On Monday, authorities said all but two of the eight arrested suspects will now be released and immediately deported. Only the Irish suspect and one of the Norwegian men remain in custody. They are due to appear in court again this week.
The Irish man has denied any involvement in criminality and told police he was in Cyprus on holiday. The case is still under investigation and he has not been charged with any offence.
Gardaí are now assisting Cypriot police through Europol, including providing information on the background of the Irish suspect.
On August 10th last, a post appeared in a group on the encrypted messaging platform Signal seeking a hitman to carry out an assassination in return for about €58,000.
Danish police had been monitoring the Signal channel as part of a crackdown on “violence as a service” (VAAS), where criminal gangs use social media and messaging apps to recruit others to carry out crimes including murder, assault and arson.
A Danish undercover police officer posing as a hitman responded to the message and agreed to take on the job.
The conspirators arranged for him to fly to Cyprus. Danish police alerted their counterparts on the island, who put the undercover officer under discreet surveillance.
According to information gathered by The Irish Times in co-operation with the Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIReN) and other European outlets, police allege the Irish man was responsible for dropping off money for the purported hitman outside a laundromat in Ayia Napa.
He is being investigated on charges of conspiracy to murder and membership of a criminal organisation.
The two targets have since left Cyprus for an unknown location. Cypriot police have enlisted the help of Interpol and UK police to track them down.
