A suspect has been arrested in connection to two walls of an under-restoration mosque in Deneia being knocked down. Police believe the incident took place late on Friday or early on Saturday but was only noticed on Monday when the restoration crew arrived to continue work on site in the Nicosia district village. The authorities believe that the vandals, who broke into the fenced-in site, had also attempted to knock down other walls. A warrant for the suspect’s arrest was issued after police heard that members of the community had spoken out against the mosque’s restoration. Deneia’s community leader Christakis Panagiotou told Phileleftheros newspaper that the mosque had been built in the 18th century but had fallen to ruin when the Turkish Cypriot residents left the village in 1963. It suffered damage during 1974 Tukrish bombings. Panagiotou said that most of the community were in favour of the mosque’s restoration as a symbol of respect for Turkish Cypriot heritage.
Cyprus Weekly