July 03, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 17, 1428

NICOSIA, July 2: The US embassy's defence attache in Cyprus was found dead on Monday on a hilltop in a remote part of the Mediterranean island after apparently stabbing himself in the neck, officials said.

Thomas Mooney “died as a result of haemorrhaging after the infliction of an injury to the neck,” an official involved in the post-mortem said.

“The injury was compatible with self-infliction. There was no evidence of foul play whatsover,” the official said, adding that the wound was caused by a sharp instrument and that the body was in a state of decomposition.

Police confirmed he had died as a result of a large wound to the neck, but declined to describe it as suicide, which is illegal in Cyprus.

US ambassador Ronald Schlicher had earlier confirmed that the body of a man found in the foothills of the Troodos mountains southwest of Nicosia was Mooney, who was last seen on Thursday.

“After notification of next of kin, with deep sadness, I announce that Thomas Mooney, who served his nation with distinction as our defence attache, was found dead by Cypriot authorities on Monday,” he said in a statement.

“The cause of his death is being investigated.” Police cordoned off the area following the discovery of the body, amid reports a blade was found at the scene.—AFP