Man remanded after supermarket stabbing in northern Nicosia

Nicosia, Cyprus. A 31-year-old man accused of stabbing a 22-year-old woman multiple times at a supermarket in northern Nicosia was remanded for one day by a court on Thursday. He is due to appear in court again on Friday.

The woman, named as Zhanerke Abdrazakova, remains in intensive care at Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital in northern Nicosia after sustaining multiple organ injuries and significant blood loss.

Victim in critical condition

Hospital chief physician Hasan Birtan told the north’s Tak news agency that Abdrazakova had been intubated and was in a critical condition.

He said her life remained in danger following the attack.

Attack at supermarket

The incident occurred shortly before midday on Monday inside the Metropol supermarket in the Taskinkoy suburb.

The man allegedly stabbed the woman before stabbing himself.

Travel history and reactions

The north’s ‘interior minister’ Dursun Oguz said the man arrived in Cyprus last Thursday, entering via the Republic of Turkey as a tourist.

Oguz told the north’s public broadcaster BRT that the man had previously travelled to Cyprus in 2018, last year and in February. He said the incident should be considered from a national security perspective as well as its personal dimension.

Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said violence against women constituted “a loss of civilisation” and called for holistic policies to eliminate violence against women and all forms of violence.

The north’s ‘deputy parliament speaker’ Fazilet Ozdenefe said on Monday evening that the incident showed the existence of a multifaceted safety problem.