A policeman has been injured in an explosion at a police headquarters, Dhekelia, a British military base on the southeast coast of Cyprus.
Cyprus state broadcaster RIK said that an explosive device was thrown at the police headquarters’ entrance by a man on a motorbike. The headquarters CCTV images captured grainy images of the motorcycle speeding off shortly after 3am local time.
The small blast left the policeman with “very minor injuries”.
Police spokesperson Kristian Gray said investigations were ongoing and the authorities are treating this as a criminal case. “The building suffered no structural damage, just a broken window,” he added.
British Bases police at Dhekelia have been active in cracking down on illegal trapping and killing of songbirds, a practice popular amongst area residents. The birds are also provided to the illicit restaurant trade. It is worth millions of Euros annually.
More than 800,000 songbirds are illegally killed every year and most of the birds are eaten.
The local dish “ambelopoulia” is a delicacy that’s been part of local tradition dating back centuries. The songbirds are pickled or roasted or fried and eaten illegally in secret.
A meal of two birds can cost up to £60. A poacher can demand £1 a bird: a lucrative tax free income for restaurateurs.
If caught, a first-time trapper could be imprisoned for up to three years, or fined up to 17,000 euros. In reality, the average fine is 400 euros and only a handful of people have gone to prison.
Cyprus became an independent republic, free from British colonial rule in 1960, but the UK retains two bases which remain British sovereign territory and houses military personnel and includes areas where thousands of Cypriots live.