Documents accompanying the European Arrest Warrants for the two 28-year-old ethnic Greeks of Georgian descent outline an active role for both in executing the plan to kill Stavros Demosthenous on 17 October. While the identity of the gunman is not yet definitively confirmed, investigators describe specific functions for at least one suspect and strong indications about the other based on witness statements and surveillance.
The “New” Getaway Vehicle
Beyond the motorcycle used to flee Agios Tychonas, police have isolated an additional vehicle that helped crack the case. CCTV places a BMW at the location where the motorcycle was later found, lingering after the time of the murder and departing roughly one minute after the bike arrives. Subsequent footage shows the car travelling along the seafront, apparently carrying the perpetrators and a driver. Checks indicate the BMW belongs to the father of one suspect and was driven by his 28-year-old son. When investigators called him, he initially claimed he was at the spot to buy drugs, then ended the call. Samples taken from the vehicle have been sent for forensic testing.
A Tip From Inside The Circle
Police say the case advanced sharply thanks to an anonymous but previously reliable source from the other suspect’s circle. That informant alleges the man drove the motorcycle after the shooting for a fee, and that a relative helped both him and the gunman escape by car. The description of the vehicle matches the BMW linked to the first suspect. The informant also claims the rider spoke to a third person four to five days after the killing, admitting his role as the motorcycle driver and saying his cousin extracted him from Agios Tychonas together with the shooter. The same source reported the suspect’s anxiety when he realised police had recovered both the motorcycle and the cap he wore. Investigators also have testimony placing the cousins returning separately by car to one suspect’s Limassol residence after the murder, with a second car of the same make and colour as the BMW tied to the other family.
Detectives say they have reconstructed the suspects’ movements with considerable precision from the moment they fell under scrutiny, including when they left Cyprus. There is testimony that one of the two searched for his ID the day of, or the day after, the murder to travel to Greece. Authorities indicate they have not yet disclosed everything they know and may present further material in court once the men are back in Cyprus. More arrests are considered likely, especially in relation to additional accomplices and the identity of the gunman.
Extradition Underway
The two 28-year-olds appeared before a prosecutor in Thessaloniki on Friday and did not contest extradition. Their transfer to Cyprus is expected to proceed swiftly, followed by their appearance at Limassol District Court. Once in Cyprus, investigators intend to obtain DNA samples with the suspects’ written consent.
A key exhibit remains the cap dropped by the motorcycle rider during the escape. Until now, its genetic profile was “orphaned” because the two suspects had no prior criminal record that would match police databases. Although media leaks have suggested a DNA match, investigators stress that obtaining lawful samples from the suspects requires their consent upon return. The cap, together with the CCTV trail and the BMW, is considered central to establishing roles and connections in the murder plot.