Phileleftheros: nationalist organisation, or Romanian gang, stole Tassos Papadopoulos's body

Greek Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros has revealed the Greek Cypriot police's suspicions that either ultra-nationalists, or a Romanian gang, stole Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos's body.

[10.45pm, 10th March 2010 update: the crime has been solved: Tassos Papadopoulos's body was stolen for ransom.]

The Daily Telegraph summarised that either 'an extremist group' stole Papadopoulos's body in hopes of 'stirring up trouble and side-tracking the peace process', or a 'Romanian gang' of 'professional tomb raiders' stole it to 'ransom' it back to the family.

Yet Phileleftheros reported the nuances of the police's claims. Greek Cypriot police did think a 'nationalist organisation [εθνικιστική οργάνωση]' might have robbed Papadopoulos's grave.

However, for some (possibly fair, but) unexplained reason, they assumed that 'some nuclei of that organization came from abroad [ήρθαν κάποιοι πυρήνες της εν λόγω οργάνωσης από το εξωτερικό]'.

Greek Cypriot police did think an 'active gang [δράση κυκλώματος]' might have stolen Papadopoulos's corpse, but again they assumed foreigners were responsible, that the gang 'consists of Romanians [αποτελείται από Ρουμάνους]'.

Nonetheless, they (seemingly) jumped to this conclusion, simply because a Romanian gang 'had recently exhumed an Austrian and demanded a ransom from his wife [(π)ρόσφατα είχαν προβεί σε εκταφή Αυστριακού και ζήτησαν λύτρα από τη σύζυγό του]'.

Realistically, it is far more likely that an ultra-nationalist gang stole Papadopoulos's body; but it is still unclear which community's ultra-nationalists probably looted the grave.

Bibliography

Daily Telegraph, the. 2009: "Memorial service held for Greek Cypriot president after body stolen from grave". The Daily Telegraph, 12th December. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/6796499/Memorial-service-held-for-Greek-Cypriot-president-after-body-stolen-from-grave.html

Phileleftheros. 2009: "Sto skotadi oi erevnes tis protofanous vevilosis tou tafou tou Tassou Papadopoulou [in the dark the investigations of the unprecedented desecration of the tomb of Tassos Papadopoulos]". Phileleftheros, 12i Dekembriou. [Φιλελέφθερος. 2009: "Στο σκοτάδι οι έρευνες της πρωτοφανούς βεβήλωσης του τάφου του Τάσσου Παπαδόπουλου". Φιλελέφθερος, 12η Δεκεμβρίου.] Brisketai sto: http://www.philenews.com/main/1,1,22,0,24373-.aspx