Two men were arrested Thursday in Thessaloniki in connection with the October 17 killing of Cypriot businessman Stavros Demosthenous, 49, in Limassol. The men, both 28, are ethnic Greeks – one born in Georgia, the other in Serres – and had reportedly fled Cyprus for Greece after the murder. Cypriot authorities had issued European arrest warrants against them for premeditated homicide.
Cypriot and Greek sources said one suspect drove the attackers’ van while the other allegedly fired at Demosthenous, who was traveling with his 18-year-old son. The businessman was shot dead near his home, suffering a head wound. The suspects’ van was later found burned, with witnesses reporting two men fleeing on a motorcycle.
Two others, aged 44 and 51, were earlier detained in Cyprus for aiding the killers’ escape. Investigators believe the shooting was a contract killing linked to a fugitive underworld figure known as “Entik,” reportedly operating from Dubai, whose criminal interests may have clashed with Demosthenous’.