Irishman arrested in connection with arson attack in Cyprus

A 41-year-old Irish man has been arrested in connections with an arson attack which caused more than €275,000 of damage to an Irish bar in a tourist resort in northern Cyprus.

The man, who is from the Blarney area of Co Cork, was arrested following an incident at Paddi Long's Bar in Alsancak in Kyrenia in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

According to the North Cyprus Daily News, the popular pub was set on fire deliberately at around midnight on Thursday while it was closed.

The fire was extinguished by firefighters but not before the pub, the only Irish bar in North Cyprus, was completely burned and an estimated €275,000 worth of damage was caused.

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“So we are going to ask for any volunteers to help Saturday and Sunday with shovels and wheelbarrows to start to clear the bar. We actually don’t know where to start,” the bar posted on social media.

According to The North Cyprus Daily News, a police officer told a court that the Irish man was charged with arson, threats of violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and drunken disturbance.