COVID19: Three telecom installations torched in Limassol

In what is believed to be linked to COVID-19 conspiracy theories, three mobile telecommunications installations were set alight by arsonists in Limassol, according to police.

The first fire at a telecommunications installation in Palodia, happened shortly after midnight Wednesday and was spotted by a passer-by who alerted the authorities.

A fire engine was dispatched to the scene, but the blaze had extinguished on its own by the time it arrived.

Investigations at the scene showed it had been set deliberately.

The second incident happened on the Limassol Troodos road at around 3.45 am Wednesday when a mobile phone antenna near the Spyros Kyprianou sports centre was the set ablaze.

The third incident was near the Tsirio Stadium, where another mobile phone antenna was recently targeted by arsonists.

In recent months Limassol has seen a number of incidents of arson and attempted arson on mobile phone antennas.

The incidents are believed to be tied to concerns over the impact of mobile phone antennas, especially those facilitating 5G mobile technologies perceived to have an impact on human health.

A recent vocal, online campaign against 5G on social media alleged that emissions from the network’s antennas pose a serious health risk and may be linked to the spread of COVID-19 by weakening the human immune system.

Similar incidents in April prompted President Nicos Anastasiades to issue a statement condemning the first attack as a “criminal act” that endangered the lives of people with chronic ailments who rely on their mobile phones for medical assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the government is not currently installing any new 5G network and that any decision to do so will be taken based solely on EU directives and World Health Organization recommendations.

According to reports, the telecommunication installations attacked this time around did not suffer extensive damage, but disturbances in the mobile phone network were observed.