Bennett spokesman accuses Iran of planning attacks against Israelis living in Cyprus

Israel accused Iran on Monday of orchestrating an attempted attack against Israelis in Cyprus after police on the island said an armed individual had been arrested.

“This was a terrorist incident directed by Iran against Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus,” Matan Sidi, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, said in a statement.

“A person has been arrested, in whose possession a pistol and cartridges were found.” Cypriot police chief Stelios Papatheodorou told reporters earlier on Monday. “It is a sensitive case, which is why a remand request was held behind closed doors," Papatheodorou added.

In his statement, Sidi denied local media reports on Sunday that described the arrest as having thwarted a criminally-motivated assassination attempt against an Israeli magnate.