Andis Hadjicostis, chief executive officer of Dias Media Group, was gunned down Monday in the Cypriot city of Nicosia, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported quoting Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Hadjicostis, 42, was shot dead at around 9 p.m. outside his home in Nicosia’s diplomatic neighbourhood of Engomi.
Citing witnesses, Cypriot police told journalists Tuesdat that there were two assailants—a gunman on foot and a second man waiting for him on a getaway motorbike. Hadjicostis died at the scene and his killers fled. Police said they recovered no bullet casings from the crime scene, according to local and international news reports.
Cypriot President Demetris Christofias immediately condemned the murder and expressed hope that police would “exhaust every possibility to solve this brutal crime,” AFP reported. Police opened a murder probe but have yet to reveal any details.
“Our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Andis Hadjicostis,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Programme Coordinator Nina Ognianova. “We call on Cypriot authorities to give every possible murder motive, including that he was gunned down for his work, a careful consideration.”
Nicosia police spokesman Michalis Katsounodos told Reuters that “two shots were heard and the victim was found dead outside his home.” Katsounodos said investigators refused to comment on any possible motives, referring to the ongoing investigation. According to press reports, the killers were waiting for Hadjicostis near his home in the vicinity of the US and French embassies. When Hadjicostis emerged from his car, a gunman fired into his chest and back.
One of the largest Cypriot media companies, Dias Media Group owns six television and radio stations, including the popular Sigma TV; several magazines and newspapers; and the Internet-based news portal Sigma Live.
