Cyprus TV boss Andis Hadjicostis murdered in Nicosia

Andis Hadjicostis, CEO of the family-controlled Dias media group and Sigma TV, was gunned down as he was leaving his home in the capital’s diplomatic neighbourhood of Engomi Monday night.
The murder took place just after 8pm, according to initial police reports, that added on Tuesday morning that the gunman probably shot Hadjicostis with a shotgun and not a revolver, as no bullet shells were found.
Neighbours said they heard two shots, but no one saw the gunman get away, probably on the back of a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
Police cordoned off the area, a few hundred metres from the U.S., Russian, French and Egyptian embassies, while their searches were focused on nearby fields from where the assailants escaped.
Politicians and community leaders alike condemned the murder of the 41-year-old, credited with the creation of the Sigma TV station, as well as modernising the media empire of radio stations, newspapers and magazines. Sigma switched to classical music all evening, while all other TV channels interrupted their programmes with special bulletins.
Tuesday’s newspaper headlines led on the murder, while the group’s Simerini wrote “Cowardly murder – they killed Andy Hadjicostis in cold blood.” In a front-page editorial, the newspaper said “We will not submit to terrorism”.