Extradition to Germany underway for man arrested in Larnaca

The extradition process to Germany is underway for a Lebanese national arrested in Larnaca on terrorism charges, subject to a European arrest warrant issued by the German authorities, Cyprus police said on Wednesday.

Police communications branch officer Michalis Michail confirmed that the individual was detained on Friday following a European arrest warrant.

A police representative told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday that the process regarding the man’s extradition is expected to take between a month and two months, with the matter to be examined by the Cypriot judiciary before his extradition is finalised.

The man is expected to next appear in court on Friday, with Reuters having reported on Tuesday that he is a member of Palestinian insurgent group Hamas. The Cyprus Mail was unable to verify those reports.

He had arrived at Larnaca airport on Friday on an inbound flight from Beirut, and had a ticket for a subsequent outbound flight to what the police only disclosed as “another European country”.

Michail added that security measures continue at critical facilities and other areas, with both patrols and stationary units deployed.