Pantelides Gets 60 Years for Terror Plot

Former Mayor planned to blow up Cypriot gas rig

Nicosia (SPP) – Former Annapolis Mayor Mike Pantelides won’t be back on the streets of Annapolis, or anywhere else, for some time to come, thanks to a Cypriot judge handing him 60 years, the maximum, for planning a terror attack.

Pantelides’s problems started late last year when a commercial DNA test revealed that he was Turkish and had no Greek ancestry. This came as a shock to Pantelides, who always took pride in his supposed Greek heritage. After a quick decline, Pantelides resurfaced in the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a pariah state only recognized by the Turkey. Not long after, Pantelides was arrested for planning a terror attack on a Cypriot gas rig.

Appearing before the Assize Court in Nicosia, Pantelides pleaded guilty to plotting the terror attack. Expressing no remorse, Pantelides proudly told the court, “My only regret, man, is that I didn’t succeed. Long live the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish Republic! Allahu Akbar!”

The use of the phrase “Allahu Akbar”, which in Arabic means God is the greatest, suggests that Pantelides was inspired, not just by his love of his newly discovered Turkish heritage, but also by Islamic extremism. The phrase has typically been used by Muslim terrorists in carrying out their attacks. Pantelides converted to Islam after he was excommunicated by the Greek Orthodox Church.

Cyprus’s Justice Minister, Ionas Nicolaou, personally prosecuted the case. He asked the three judges of the Assize Court to impose the maximum sentence of 60 years. “He shows no remorse,” Nicolaou told the court. “He takes pride in his actions and only regrets that he failed. Had he succeeded in ramming his speed boat filled with semtex into our gas rig, many lives would have been lost. In addition, there would have been significant economic damage inflicted on this country.”

In sentencing Pantelides, Judge Efraim, speaking for himself and the other two judges of the court, called Pantelides “a violent terrorist” who had “no place in society.” Efraim said it was unfortunate that they could not impose the death penalty, which was abolished in 2002.

Speaking to reporters after sentencing, Justice Minister Nicolaou said, “This is our Holy Week in the Orthodox Church so it is only appropriate that this Judas was removed from our midst today.”

After sentencing, Pantelides put in a request to transfer to a prison in the Turkey. Negotiations involving Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey could likely result in Pantelides serving his sentence in a Turkish Prison, where Pantelides said he would feel more comfortable.

The Super Patriot Post will continue to follow this story as it develops.