A view of a Cypriot nightclub where an off-duty British
soldier was stabbed to death in the resort of Ayia Napa.
REUTERS/Andreas Manolis
An off-duty British soldier has been stabbed to death in
the popular Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa, and three British
tourists have been detained for questioning, police say.
The incident occurred at a nightclub in the resort. The
soldier, a 19-year-old serving with the Second Battalion,
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was stabbed in the chest and was
dead upon arrival at a local hospital.
Police identified the victim as David Lee Collins, 19.
Two police sources told Reuters that the three suspects held
for questioning were British citizens, all teenagers. They
were due to appear before a magistrate on Monday, police
said.
"We can confirm there was a stabbing incident involving a
British soldier who was killed," a spokeswoman for the
British bases in Cyprus said.
The victim was serving at Dhekelia, one of two bases Britain
has maintained on the east Mediterranean island, a former
colony, since independence in 1960. The incident happened in
an area of Ayia Napa which is out-of-bounds for British
soldiers.
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