Cyprus police arrest five Swedes over twin murder-for-hire plot

Local Crimedenmarkirelandmurder attemptPaphospoliceTop News Cyprus police arrest five Swedes over twin murder-for-hire plot Police Arrest Three Young Men Over Limassol Building Attack Relevant News Two more bodies identified in Kyrenia boat disaster as death toll rises to 12 5 September 2026 Cyprus police arrest five Swedes over twin murder-for-hire plot 5 September 2026 Elderly man critical after Nicosia collision 5 September 2026 Newsroom 5 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Police in Paphos have made five new arrests in a case involving conspiracy to commit murder and participation in a criminal organisation, bringing the total number of people held over the plot to eight. The case first made headlines last Saturday, August 29, when police arrested three suspects as part of an international investigation into a planned contract killing in Cyprus. The five new suspects, two men aged 22 and one each aged 21, 25 and 28, are all Swedish nationals. Judges issued arrest warrants against them after police reviewed evidence and testimony gathered against them. Police stopped a vehicle carrying the five suspects during a coordinated operation in the Paphos district. A search of the vehicle turned up a pistol, two knives, gloves, masks and three mobile phones, all of which were seized. Officers then searched the suspects’ residence in Paphos, seizing eight more mobile phones, 1,400 US dollars in cash, and documents, notes and other evidence. The five were taken into custody and are expected to appear before a court today for a remand order. Inside the sting that exposed the murder plot The investigation began after Denmark’s authorities passed information to Cyprus police via Europol about planned murders for hire in Cyprus. A previous operation in the Larnaca and Famagusta districts had led to the arrest of three more suspects: two Norwegian nationals, aged 34 and 35, and one Irish national, aged 33, who remain in eight-day custody. According to testimony given in court last week, the intended targets were twin siblings, foreign nationals from a third country, who were due to arrive in Cyprus on holiday. The two Norwegian suspects and the Irish suspect, who are not believed to be the masterminds, sought a hitman online and fell into a trap set by Danish police, who have long used undercover officers to prevent contract killings in Denmark. The supposed hitman was in fact an undercover Danish police officer. On realising the murders were planned to take place in Cyprus, he alerted his own country’s authorities and Europol, who in turn notified Cyprus police. The suspects are alleged to belong to a network that offered the undercover officer roughly 85,000 euros, or 650,000 Danish kroner, to kill the two siblings. In online discussions between the undercover officer and the person directing the plot, the latter reportedly said authorities would be bribed to ensure no one was present at the scene of the murder. The undercover officer was given a ticket to fly from Copenhagen to Cyprus, arriving on August 24, accompanied by a team of Danish investigators. He received instructions via the Signal messaging app, according to testimony given in court, and went to a location in Larnaca where he was handed 200 euros. He was then told to travel to Ayia Napa, where he checked into a hotel, and was sent a location to collect further money the same day. There, he said, he saw a person dressed in black and wearing slippers leave an envelope on the wheel of a white vehicle. Those involved were immediately placed under surveillance, and police observed a rental car, driven by one of the three suspects, searching for the drop-off point. On August 24, a vehicle in Ayia Napa carrying two of the suspects and two women was placed under surveillance, and the undercover officer confirmed they were the surveillance targets. He later received a message and met one of the suspects to collect further money; the suspects left a cardboard box containing 1,000 euros behind a bin. The three suspects were arrested on August 27. The first claimed he was in Cyprus on holiday. The second was found to have a criminal record in his home country for threats and extortion, and is wanted there for weapons possession offences and threats. Investigations are continuing under a Special Investigative Team from Police Headquarters, working with the relevant European authorities. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Two more bodies identified in Kyrenia boat disaster as death toll rises to 12 Elderly man critical after Nicosia collision Things to do on Saturday, September 5 President Christodoulides’s contact details exposed online, cybersecurity expert says Tails will wag as Cyprus’s first Dog Fest hits Nicosia Ten children, one big love story: the Konstantinou family Cyprus leads European search for rare kidney disease treatments Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.