Gate Niners Armed Urban Guerillas (Militant Entity, Cyprus)

Local Name: Thyraeniotes Armed Urban Guerillas
Transliteration: N/a
Alternatives: N/a
Status: 2014 – 2015 (Disbanded)
Conflicts: N/a

The Gate Niners Armed Urban Guerillas [TAUG; Thyraeniotes Armed Urban Guerillas] was a small Cypriot armed group made up of left-wing hardcore fans of the Omonia Nicosia soccer club.¹ Its members sought to punish corruption in Cypriot soccer, but vowed not to hurt anyone.² The group emerged in the wake of a scandal involving match fixing in the country.³ Although the TAUG’s objective was non-political, it railed against the establishment and disparaged leaders of the conservative DISY party.⁴

The TAUG was behind a grenade attack on the October 2014 headquarters of the Cypriot referee association in Nicosia.⁵ It later also bombed the parked car of a soccer referee in Larnaca on Feb. 27, 2015.⁶ The TAUG asserted responsibility for the attacks in a statement left for journalists at an abandoned sports stadium in early March 2015.⁷ The group’s attacks came amid a wave of bombings targeting referees and other soccer officials. It is not clear whether the TAUG was involved in any of the other incidents.

References[+]

References
↑1	Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link & National Herald – “Terrorists claim Cypriot soccer bombs” (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑2	Associated Press – “Cyprus police probe new group claiming responsibility for pair of bombings against referees” (Mar. 05, 2015), link; Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link & National Herald – “Terrorists claim Cypriot soccer bombs” (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑3	Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑4	Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑5	Associated Press – “Referees’ clubhouse in Cyprus struck by pipe bomb in pre-dawn attack, causing minor damage” (Oct. 13, 2014), link; Associated Press – “Cyprus police probe new group claiming responsibility for pair of bombings against referees” (Mar. 05, 2015), link; British Broadcasting Corporation – “Offices of Cyprus referee’s association hit by bomb blast” (Oct. 13, 2014), link; Cyprus Mail – “Cyprus referee offices damaged by pipe bomb“, by Jean Christou (Oct. 13, 2014), link & National Herald – “Terrorists claim Cypriot soccer bombs” (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑6	Associated Press – “Cyprus police probe new group claiming responsibility for pair of bombings against referees” (Mar. 05, 2015), link; Cyprus Mail – “Bomb explodes outside ref’s house” (Feb. 27, 2015), link; Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link & National Herald – “Terrorists claim Cypriot soccer bombs” (Mar. 05, 2015), link.
↑7	Associated Press – “Cyprus police probe new group claiming responsibility for pair of bombings against referees” (Mar. 05, 2015), link & Cyprus Mail – “Group assumes responsibility for ref bombs“, by Constantinos Psillides (Mar. 05, 2015), link.

Gate Niners Armed Urban Guerillas (Militant Entity, Cyprus)

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