Key suspect in the murder of Dartford's George Low in Ayia Napa arrested for illegal entry into northern Cyprus
13:50, 24 October 2017
A key suspect in the murder of a Dartford man in Cyprus more than a year ago has been arrested.
Turkish national Mehmet Akpinar is in custody for allegedly illegally entering northern Cyprus, just months after he served a three-month sentence for trespassing a military zone there with fellow suspect Sali Musa Ahmet.
It is hoped that Akpinar can now questioned over George Low’s death, with the former Axton Chase School pupil and Longfield Tigers footballer having been fatally stabbed during an attack in Ayia Napa on August 14, 2016.
His childhood mate Ben Barker was with him at the time and he was stabbed four times in the back, but managed to survive.
Warrants for Akinpar and Bulgarian Ahmet’s arrest were issued by police in southern Cyprus, but the friends’ families have been made to wait for justice because of the division between the two sides of the island.
Dartford MP Gareth Johnson said: “It has been a terrible 14 months for the families of both George Low and Ben Barker and understandably they want some closure.
“What is needed now is for the two Cypriot authorities to work with one another so we can finally get some justice.
“I hope this arrest of Mehmet Akpinar can be used as an opportunity to achieve this.
“I will continue to liaise with the Foreign Office and the families but ultimately it is the Cypriot authorities who have it within their gift to ensure those accused of this brutal murder of a Dartford resident are brought to trial.”
The impasse stems from the fact that Northern Cyprus has been inhabited by Turkish Cypriots since Turkey invaded the country in 1974, dividing the island in two.
The northern third of the island is inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots.
Greek Cypriot police requested that Akpinar and Ahmet be handed over to them after their arrest for trespassing just days after Mr Low’s death, but their Turkish counterparts did not co-operate.
The Foreign Office has raised the issue with Cyprus and Turkey and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made an appeal during a visit to Cyprus last November.
Ahmet is free after serving time for illegally crossing into the north 670 times since 2011.
