Tension as group of Greek Cypriot men attack Turkish Cypriot woman in Ayia Napa

Tension broke out between the divided island of Cyprus on Monday following the assault of a 25-year-old Turkish Cypriot woman by a group of Greek Cypriot men in Ayia Napa, Cyprus (south) at the weekend.

The incident happened at around 3.30 am on Saturday in Ayia Napa, south Cyprus.

The incident came to public notice after a CCTV footage of the incident was posted on social media showing the woman being assaulted and falling from a brick fence whose height is estimated at two or three metres.

The woman, Asya Karaali who was injured as a result of the incident was rushed to the Famagusta General Hospital in an ambulance. Doctors said she suffered a broken tooth and bruises on different parts of her body.

Following her discharge from he hospital, she went to the local police station and filed a complaint.

Two Greek Cypriot men, aged 22 and 30, were arrested on Sunday and remanded in custody as suspects in the attack for four days. On Tuesday, Greek Cypriot police said a third man believed to be connected with the incident have been arrested.

In her complaint, she raised the issue of her ethnicity but Greek Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides who called his counterpart, Turkish Cypriot president, Ersin Tatar over the incident said that the incident was one of delinquency and not political or racism.

Ersin Tatar has asked for the bicommunal technical committee to monitor the case.

“Incidents that negatively affect the peaceful atmosphere on the island are not acceptable,” Tatar wroted on Twitter on Monday adding that he will closely follow the developments surrounding the incident.

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.