Third Person Involved in Assault of Turkish Cypriot Woman in Ayia Napa Incident

Asked whether there was a possibility of a racist motive, as the victim had raised the issue of her ethnicity in her complaint, Theodoulou replied that all possibilities are being investigated. "Efforts are being made to identify the third person who, from the footage, seems to have been with the two people who were arrested for the case on Saturday afternoon," the police spokesman said.

Two Greek Cypriot men, aged 22 and 30, have been remanded in custody for four days as suspects in the attack. The ethnicities of those involved were not initially released by police but came to light following social media outcry.

President Nikos Christodoulides issued a statement condemning the incident on Monday, as reported by state broadcaster CyBC, and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar asked for the bicommunal technical committee to monitor the case. "Incidents that negatively affect the peaceful atmosphere on the island are not acceptable," the Turkish Cypriot leader posted on Twitter on Monday. Tatar stated that he will closely follow the developments surrounding the incident.

Christodoulides communicated with Tatar, condemning the attack, as reported by daily Philenews. The president is quoted as stating that the episode does not appear to have been racially motivated, however, it was to be condemned as unacceptable and delinquent behaviour.

Justice Minister Anna Procopiou commented that the attack was part of a larger societal problem and escalating prevalence of aggression. She added that it was important to note that police had acted swiftly and brought the suspects to justice well before any media response.

Sources on Monday reported that the incident began as a confrontation between two groups in the early morning hours of Saturday, in the context of which the woman fell from a brick wall. The height of the wall was estimated at two to three metres, said Theodoulou.

The injured woman was rushed to Famagusta general hospital with a broken tooth and bruises on various parts of her body. Following her discharge from hospital, the woman visited the local police station and filed a complaint, Theodoulou said. Police are still investigating the exact sequence of events.