Kinahan cartel suspected in Cyprus murder plot

An international investigation has alleged that the Irish Kinahan cartel plotted to murder two British twin brothers in Cyprus. The operation was reportedly organized through the Signal messaging application by a user known as ‘Sponge Jobb’, who offered approximately €87,000 to carry out the hit.

According to evidence presented in the Famagusta district court, the plot involved recruiting smaller criminal networks from Ireland and Sweden. The alleged organizer claimed that a contact within Cyprus would provide a pistol, a motorcycle, and accommodation, and further suggested that local authorities could be bribed to avoid the crime scene.

Following an undercover operation where an officer posed as a contract killer, eight individuals were arrested in Cyprus. The detainees include one Irish national, two Norwegians, and five Swedes. The intended targets have since left Cyprus.