Priest with assault rifle burgles surgery
NICOSIA (AFP) – A 38-year-old Greek Orthodox priest was formally charged on Tuesday with burglary and possessing an assault rifle with intent to cause terror at a doctor’s surgery, Cypriot police said. The priest, a father of seven, was later released from custody. The perpetrator’s name has not been released, most probably because the bizarre incident has shocked the authorities and left the Church red-faced in the lead-up to Easter Sunday. A doctor stumbled across a masked intruder brandishing an army-issue automatic weapon when opening her Nicosia private surgery on Monday. The man fled but reportedly his distinctive clerical ponytail gave him away to police who said the priest later confessed to being the culprit. The Church has dispatched a replacement priest to carry out Easter services at his Nicosia village.
