Two arrested in Greece over Cyprus soccer murder, underworld link suspected

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ATHENS (Reuters) -Two men have been arrested in Greece over the killing of a soccer club chairman in Cyprus and police are investigating if the case is linked to underworld crime rings, police said on Thursday.

Attackers gunned down Stavros Demosthenous, chairman of the second division Cypriot side Karmiotissa, outside his home in the coastal city of Limassol on October 17. The 49-year-old died while his son was driving him to hospital.

The two men were arrested in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said in a text alert.

“They are suspected of participating in the execution of a contract killing,” a police official told Reuters, without going into further detail on their suspected role.

Police were also looking into one possibility that the case was linked with a crime boss thought to be hiding out in the United Arab Emirates, the police official added, declining to be named as an investigation was still underway.

The men were detained under a European arrest warrant, in connection with the premeditated murder, the police text alert added.

Karmiotissa were relegated to the second division this season. They have mainly played in lower divisions since it was established in 1979.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Andrew Heavens)