Updated 15.48
An attempt to assassinate Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus, has been averted due to intelligence information obtained by the Cypriot police, the Cypriot media has reported. The information, which came from Israeli sources, led to the arrest of a man allegedly hired to shoot him. He was arrested with a gun, and silencer in his possession. Reports in Cyprus said that Teddy Sagi was the target but this has been denied by the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
Sagi left Cyprus immediately after the authorities informed him about the situation. One Israeli security source said that Sagi is now in a safe place.
Sagi has a golden visa to live in Cyprus due to his large-scale investments there. The Cypriot media reports that the alleged assassin, who has been arrested is an Azeri citizen, who also holds a Russian passport.
But a spokesperson for Israel's Prime Minister's Office has said that Iranian terror cells were behind the matter. Matan Sidi said, "In contradiction of some of the reports yesterday regarding the incident in Cyprus, I want to make clear on behalf of security organizations that this was a terror incident by Iran against Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus. This was not a criminal incident and businessman Teddy Sagi was not the target of the attack."
Teddy Sagi Group said, "This was an Iranian terror incident that has been thwarted. The target for assassination was not Teddy Sagi but Israelis living in Cyprus. It is regrettable that it is so easy to publish information and harm the name of a person."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 4, 2021
Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021