Molotov cocktail hurled at mosque in Southern Cyprus

By Mehmet Kemal Firik

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) — A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a mosque in the city of Limassol city in the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, local media reported on Saturday.

The nighttime attack targeted the Koprulu Haci Ibrahim Aga Mosque, damaging its door and wall, according to Greek Cypriot media and the Turkish News Agency-Cyprus (TAK), the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC) official news wire.

Greek Cypriot news website Philenews reported that a Molotov cocktail was lobbed at the building, while broadcaster Antenna claimed that firecrackers were launched at the mosque, causing minor damage.

The TAK reported that Greek Cypriot police had launched an operation to identify and apprehend the individual or group that carried out the attack, adding that the incident had been caught on security camera footage.

According to some reports, "Immigrants' Islam not welcome" was spray-painted on the walls of the mosque before the attack.

Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar condemned the attack, which TRNC authorities said was carried out at around 1.10 a.m. local time on Saturday (2210GMT Friday).

"In the face of attacks on our historical, religious, and cultural assets, I emphasize the necessity of promptly bringing the perpetrators to justice. I want to underline that such outdated attacks pose a threat to all of humanity and undermine world peace," Tatar said in a statement.

Prime Minister Unal Ustel also condemned the attack, calling it "an attack against our Muslim brothers and sisters living in Southern Cyprus, and in general against the entire Islamic world."