CyprusLiving

Shocked holidaymaker claims he found loaded gun in airport toilet before flying back to Stansted

The 37-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said he discovered the weapon on top of a toilet roll dispenser at Paphos Airport in Cyprus.

A shocked holidaymaker claims he found a loaded handgun in an airport toilet before flying back to Stansted Airport.

The 37-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said he discovered the weapon on top of a toilet roll dispenser at Paphos Airport in Cyprus.

He was due to fly home to Stansted Airport but ended up calling armed police into the cubicle to deal with it. He said: “When I went into the cubicle I saw it on top of the dispenser.

“At first I thought of moving it but then I realised it might go off or something like that.

“Then I walked off and went to the officers who were nearby and tried to explain what was happening but it was difficult because their English was not good.

“Then two armed policeman with machine guns walked past and I called up to them and said ‘there’s a gun in the toilets’.”

The man was then led back into the toilets where an officer removed the bullets from the gun and checked his phone to see whether he had taken any photographs of the incident.

He added: “What concerned me the most was how nonchalant they were about it.

“They did not asked me for a statement or search the airport for any other weapons.

“Other passengers were worried because there was at least 50 people queuing up for the flight who overheard my conversation.

“It sends shivers down my spine when I think about what could have happened if it had been a child, and not me who had seen it.

“They might have thought it was a toy and started playing with it and hurt or done something worse to themselves or someone else.”

When the passenger, from Birch, Essex, arrived back at Stansted he was advised to lodge a complaint to Paphos airport.

He now believes the gun was a glock - similar to models used by the police force in Cyprus, and has found other reports of guns being found in airports.

He has reported his concerns to MP Priti Patel who has passed on the matter to Alan Duncan, the minister of state for foreign affairs.

Operator Hermes have said an investigation will be launched into the incident and appropriate measures will be taken.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/ca ... d-12155427

A shocking story, and it shows how lax security actually is in Cyprus. It probably was a police gun left behing after spending a penny!

How odd that this hasn't been reported anywhere else given that you'd think the local press would leap at this!

Pickles wrote:How odd that this hasn't been reported anywhere else given that you'd think the local press would leap at this!

If it's not in the Daily Wail, it can't be true!!!!!

Seeing that just about every Cypriot home has at least one gun, and also shotguns, many have there Army weapons kept at home too, why over worry?

James it has been reported elsewhere:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/730 ... rus-loaded

I'm assuming the holidaymaker came from these parts as locally also reported here:

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/ca ... d-12155427


Security worrying despite what you mention Jim, and thank goodness a child or even an adult didn't pick it up and cause any harm. Made me wonder if it actually belonged to a local policeman who'd left it there in error, nothing would surprise me.

I have read the article(s) but cannot tell if the pistol found was in an airside toilet or one sited before "security"...perhaps I missed that? A pretty serious matter in any case, especially if it was a police issue weapon left inadvertently. If if it was airside a much more serious matter. Interesting that the man's phone was checked!

Having recently travelled via Larnaca and Paphos I commented to my wife that the security had lapsed. Paphos had returned to waving passed, instead of checking. It was busy but that is no excuse. When I returned my hire car at Larnaca I parked outside Departures and the company rep drove up locked the car and drove off, to collect later. Cannot see that happening in UK. If an incident does occur we might all have problems going to and from as per Egypt.