Tassos Papadopoulos's grave-robbery: false flag operation?

Commenting on the Cyprus Mail's breaking news article on the robbery of Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos's grave, Cypriot historian Dr. Andrekos Varnava suggested it might be a false flag operation:

This is very sad, for both the family and his friends, but also for the island - a sad reflection on the extremism that prevails.

The act has all the hallmarks of a 'false-flag operation' which was the norm of both Greek and Turkish Cypriot extremists in the late 1950s, the 1960s and early 1970s.

Bomb, injure or damage your own buildings, people etc... in order that the other side gets blamed. What motive would the pro-reunification forces, or the left, or Turkish Cypriots have to do this? Nothing. The man is dead.

I think Turkish and Turkish deep state elements have the same interest in wrecking the Cypriot peace process; but I think they have a freedom and a need to commit vile crimes to repress the northern Cypriot community.

Turkish deep state murders of recent years (like that of Armenian Turkish Hrant Dink and probably that of Greek Cypriot Stephanos Stephanou), and even false flag operations, suggest that the Turkish deep state doesn't need to hide its activity completely; indeed, it achieves its aims partly by showing its responsibility and untouchability.

Greek Cypriot underground movements, however, operate in a freer society; they do not need to oppress the community to achieve their aims, and cannot operate with impunity; so, they have to hide their activity. Obviously, this is circumstantial, but it suggests the grave-robbers may have been Greek Cypriot nationalist extremists.

What motive do the rejectionists have? They stand to gain something - not only sympathy, but to resurect him and his ideas and blame the other side. This is all about stirring up ill-feeling and tension in support of division. Desperation.

Shame on those criminals who have done it. Cyprus should never forgive them. This is horrific for Mr Papadopoulos' family and the perpetrators should think of them and their suffering.

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

Psyllides, G. 2009a: "Breaking news: Papadopoulos' grave desecrated, remains stolen". Cyprus Mail, 11th December. Available at: http://cyprus-mail.com/tassos-papadopoulos/breaking-news-papadopoulos-grave-desecrated-remains-stolen

[I added paragraph breaks to make long quotations easy to read in a blog post.]