Politicians in the Greek half of Cyprus have voiced outrage after thieves stole the corpse of former President Tassos Papadopoulos from his grave.

His ex-rival and successor as president, Demetris Christofias, condemned the "unholy" theft and urged the public to remain calm.
The remains were stolen during a thunderstorm, shortly before the first anniversary of the ex-leader's death.

As investigators sought a motive for the act, three people were questioned.

The desecration is bound to stir up passions over peace efforts aimed at reuniting the Turkish and Greek parts of the island.

Papadopoulos made many enemies during a long and eventful political career, after fighting British colonial rule in a guerrilla group.
The pinnacle of his career came in 2004, when he made an emotional denunciation of a UN plan to reunite the island, local media says.

Papadopoulos' crying hit a note and convinced 76% of Greek Cypriots to reject the proposal in a referendum, which Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly approved.
He died on 12 December last year of lung cancer at the age of 74, and a memorial service is due to be held on Saturday.