Investigators work at the scene of the explosion at the fenced entrance of Dhekelia British Sovereign Base in Cyprus on June 13, 2017. A bomb was hurled over the fence at the entrance of the Dhekelia British Sovereign Base, known as the Eastern Sovereign Base area, by a passing motor cyclist just before day break on Tuesday and authorities said that they are treating the case as a criminal attack. (Xinhua/Christos Theodorides)
NICOSIA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A bomb was hurled at the entrance of a police station at the fenced entrance of a British Base in Cyprus just before day break on Tuesday and authorities said that they are treating the case as a criminal attack.
"A terrorist attack is out of the question," a British Base police spokesman said.
Reports quoting Base policemen suggested that the incident is linked to stiff fine penalties imposed on poachers by police in the area on Monday.
The Base police, along with the Cypriot police and naturalists, are at war with bird catchers and poachers who trap millions of songbirds each year using mist nets and lime sticks.
The bomb was hurled over the fence at the entrance of the Dhekelia British Sovereign Base, known as the Eastern Sovereign Base area, by a passing motor cyclist.
It caused "very minor injuries" to a policeman and slight damage to the police station entrance.
The Eastern Sovereign Base area is freely accessible to the public, with a busy road just meters away from the fenced off entrance.
Britain retained sovereignty over two areas comprising 254 square kilometers when it granted independence to Cyprus in 1960. Part of this area on the south coast is used as an important airbase and is off limits to civilians, but otherwise several thousand Greek Cypriots live in villages within the two bases.
The two base areas are policed by a police force which is separate from the Cypriot police, but is made up of Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
