The five Greek Cypriots who were arrested near the village of Galatia, near Trikomo, on suspicion of espionage, were all remanded in custody for a further three months on Thursday.
The five, three men, aged 68 years old, 66 years old, and 60 years old, and two women, aged 63 years old and 60 years old, were all arrested on July 19 and may now remain in custody until the end of October.
Newspaper Yeniduzen described Thursday’s hearing as “intense”.
Two of the five, 68-year-old man and the 60-year-old woman, are set to appear at a military court in Famagusta later in the day, as they stand accused of having “violated a military zone”, having entered the north without undergoing passport control procedures at a crossing point.
At a previous hearing, a representative of the Turkish Cypriot police said the five had entered the north via the Strovilia crossing point, near Famagusta, on July 17, and that some of the five had not currently been processed at passport control.
Then, the representative said, the five were seen in a residential area in Galatia, “walking around with a blue folder” and “causing concern”.
The representative said the blue folder contained information about directors of construction companies in the north, and “personal data of title deeds” belonging to 14 Turkish Cypriots, four of whom have filed complaints over breeches of their privacy.
More to follow…