Three Syrians acquitted in Kornos shooting case in Cyprus — Cyprus Mail

The Larnaca Criminal Court in Cyprus acquitted three Syrian nationals who were accused of attempting to murder a 30-year-old compatriot during a shooting in the village of Kornos in January 2025. The judges concluded that the prosecution had not proven their involvement beyond reasonable doubt, Cyprus Mail reports.

Circumstances of the shooting

The men, aged 24, 25 and 27, faced six charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, possession and transportation of firearms and explosives. All three pleaded not guilty.

The shooting occurred during the day on January 9, 2025, when the 30-year-old man was sitting in his car in Kornos. He sustained gunshot wounds to his right arm and shoulder, managed to escape and sought help at a private clinic in Limassol.

According to materials presented in court, the victim arrived in Kornos from Paphos to meet an unidentified man. The man had contacted him via WhatsApp and said he was interested in buying his car. The attackers were traveling in a black BMW, which was found abandoned in Aletriko the following day.

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The court’s assessment of the evidence

The court examined the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence but concluded that it did not prove that the defendants knew of the attackers’ intentions or were their accomplices. The judges noted that none of the three men had been in the attackers’ vehicle.

The court separately considered the circumstances concerning the third defendant, the owner of the BMW which, according to the prosecution, was used in the attack. The prosecution did not attempt to prove that he was at the scene of the shooting or in the Kornos area that day, nor did it provide evidence of his connection to the direct perpetrators.

The first defendant’s phone was found at the crime scene, and DNA evidence linked him to the device. However, the court found this insufficient to establish his cooperation with the attackers. Regarding the second man, the court considered data indicating that he was in Kornos around the time of the shooting, but found no reliable evidence that he knew the perpetrators or assisted them. The identities of those who fired the shots remain unknown.