Hamas network planned Cyprus attack for seven months with mastermind directing other countries from Malaysia

Local CrimeHamasLarnacapoliceTop News Hamas network planned Cyprus attack for seven months with mastermind directing other countries from Malaysia Akti Kiverniti 1536x788 Relevant News Hamas network planned Cyprus attack for seven months with mastermind directing other countries from Malaysia 13 June 2026 Right lane closed on Paphos–Limassol motorway after collision near tunnel 12 June 2026 Images and Views of Alternative Cinema Festival returns to Nicosia on June 15–21 12 June 2026 Fanis Makrides 13 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The three Palestinians arrested in Cyprus over a Hamas bomb plot had been planning an attack on Israeli targets on the island for seven months and were caught days before they were ready to strike, according to information obtained by Phileleftheros. Testimonies secured by authorities in Cyprus and Greece indicate that the 33-year-old and the 38-year-old were making final preparations at a rented villa in Governor’s Beach when they were arrested on 21 May. The 38-year-old physics teacher — known by the nickname “the cook” and described as an expert bomb-maker — had entered the government-controlled areas through the occupied territories shortly before his arrest. A German national was also present at the villa during the same period and is alleged to have handed a sum of money to the 33-year-old. According to authorities, the 33-year-old had planned to leave Cyprus after the attack was carried out. The 41-year-old mastermind All four arrested suspects — three in Cyprus and one in Greece — are alleged to have been taking orders from a 41-year-old Hamas operative living in Malaysia, whose name is known to intelligence services. According to confessions made to investigators in both countries, he was the network’s handler.The 41-year-old is alleged to have been the mastermind behind planned bomb attacks not only in Cyprus but in at least six other countries: Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. The 33-year-old admitted to travelling abroad four times to meet the 41-year-old, who gave him large sums of money and was prepared to pay him a fixed monthly salary. The 37-year-old arrested in Crete separately told investigators that during his explosives training with the 38-year-old physics teacher in Malaysia in the summer of 2025, the teacher gave him $10,000. The 54-year-old released on bail The role of the 54-year-old Palestinian with Cypriot citizenship was clarified through the indictment filed at Larnaca District Court. He is alleged to have been involved in handling packages containing precursor substances for making explosives, delivered to the 33-year-old and 38-year-old. He has been living in Cyprus since the 1980s and four of his children serve in the security forces — one in the police and three in the National Guard. The court released the 54-year-old on bail on Friday after ruling that whilst there is a visible probability of conviction for the other two defendants, the evidence linking the 54-year-old to the case presents weaknesses. He must sign a €1 million guarantee with creditworthy sureties, surrender his travel documents and report to a police station four times a week. The other two defendants did not contest their remand and are due to stand trial before the Permanent Criminal Court on 6 August. Expert: Hamas running sleeper networks across Europe European Parliament expert on Turkey, intelligence services and political Islam Kostas Pikramenos told Phileleftheros the case fits a broader pattern of Hamas sleeper networks. He said Hamas’s Political Bureau decided at the end of 2024 to conduct terrorist operations in Europe against Jewish and Israeli targets as a pressure tool against the Israeli government, following the completion of hostage releases. He noted that in 2025 alone, Hamas operatives were arrested in Germany, Denmark, Italy and Austria, with the Cyprus and Greece arrests adding to that picture. On Malaysia’s role, Pikramenos said the country has been used for years as a hub for financing, recruitment and training for Hamas’s military wing, with multiple visits by senior Hamas figures to Kuala Lumpur recorded since 2013. He noted that whilst Malaysia’s deputy prime minister denied in 2024 that Hamas training camps existed in the country, the confessions of those arrested directly contradict that claim. On Greek and Cypriot intelligence, Pikramenos was critical, saying both the Greek EYP and the Cypriot KYP rely heavily on Israel’s Mossad for identifying and tracking sleeper networks of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. He attributed this to a lack of human resources, poor-quality training, the absence of speakers of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto, and a failure to conduct infiltration operations in mosques, prayer spaces and cultural associations. Read more: Cyprus Hamas suspect bought explosives materials, photographed targets and recruited physics teacher, court told Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Right lane closed on Paphos–Limassol motorway after collision near tunnel Images and Views of Alternative Cinema Festival returns to Nicosia on June 15–21 Facebook suffers global outage as users locked out of app and website Low fertility is not women’s ‘problem’ to solve, gender institute warns Cyprus politicians Overnight pharmacies on Friday, June 12 Mobile signal hunt under way after 22-year-old vanishes on way to Kofinou factory Vietnam bear rescue centre in Tam Dao national park Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.