Grave Robbers Steal Body of Cyprus Leader

Guard finds empty coffin, no clue on motive
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2009 8:05 AM CST
Grave Robbers Steal Body of Cyprus Leader
A 2007 file photo former Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos.   (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)

Bizarre crime of the day: Grave robbers have stolen the corpse of the former president of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos. A member of the president's guard found the open grave and empty coffin this morning. The body snatching came one day before a public memorial service on the one-year anniversary of his death, reports the London Times.

"I am honestly still trying to comprehend what kind of warped minds could even think of doing such a thing, let alone actually carry it out," the head of the ruling party tells the BBC. No group has claimed responsibility or explained a motive. Papadopoulos had been a strong opponent of a UN plan to unite the Turkish and Greek parts of the island. (More Tassos Papadopoulos stories.)

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