Investigators are scouring CCTV footage across Kokkinotrimithia to identify two suspects on a motorcycle who targeted the home of artist George Gavriel with explosives, an act police believe was intended to “intimidate” the painter over his works.
The attack occurred at approximately 17:30 on Thursday while the artist was inside the residence with his wife and children. According to Nicosia CID, the assailants detonated two factory-made firecrackers outside the home before fleeing.
While the devices caused no physical injuries or structural damage, the incident has raised concerns over the safety of the artist, who has faced a week of mounting death threats.
Forensic evidence points to ‘scare tactic’
Pyrotechnicians who processed the scene recovered fragments of “factory-made” paper firecrackers containing low-intensity pyrotechnic material.
Authorities view the choice of material—commonly used by youths at football matches—as evidence that the primary objective was to silence the artist through fear. This follows the recent cancellation of Gavriel’s Antisystemic Art exhibition in Paphos, where the gallery owner was also subjected to threats of violence.
Security measures
In response to the escalation, Police have implemented “preventative measures,” including increased patrols around the artist’s house. Detectives are currently reviewing surveillance data from both the local community and nearby businesses to track the motorcycle’s movements.
The Law Office is expected to be briefed on the investigation, particularly regarding the artist’s reports of in-person death threats that preceded the attack. Under the Republic’s criminal code, the investigation may broaden to include the incitement of violence, as the artistic community decries the incident as an assault on the fundamental right to free expression.
Escalation from censorship to violence
The attack follows a rapid escalation of hostility toward Gavriel and the owner of the Blue Iris Gallery in Paphos, where his exhibition, Antisystemic Art, was abruptly cancelled on Sunday. The gallery owner reportedly received multiple death threats and warnings that his property would be destroyed unless the works—which depict religious and political figures in provocative contexts—were removed.
Political tension has surrounded Gavriel for years, but reached a boiling point this week after Efthymios Diplaros, the Deputy President of DISY, shared a collage of Gavriel’s work on social media, labelling it “crude blasphemy.” The artist has since accused Diplaros of spreading “fake news” by creating a doctored image to incite public anger, while the far-right ELAM party formally requested that the Police Chief initiate criminal proceedings against the painter for “insulting the Orthodox faith.”