Three charged in Malta court with murder of journalist, seven on bail

VALLETTA: A Maltese court charged three men with the carbomb slaying of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, as details from the investigation indicated she was killed by a remote-controlled explosion of TNT.

Seven other Maltese men were released on bail pending further investigation.

The arrest of the 10 men on Monday was the first breakthrough in the Oct 16 killing that shocked this Mediterranean island and led the European Parliament to send a delegation on a fact-finding mission related to the rule of law in Malta.

The three main suspects, who all had previous police records, arrived under heavy police escort at the court late on Tuesday and pleaded innocent to the charges, which included murder and possession of explosive material. They were represented by a court-appointed lawyer.

Peter Caruana Galizia, the victim’s husband, attended the hearing.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a leading investigative reporter whose exposes focused on corruption, drug trafficking and scandals involving Malta’s elite. She also wrote about Maltese links to the Panama Papers leaks about offshore financial havens.

She was killed when a bomb blew up in the car she drove near her home.

Ahead of the arraignment, officials with knowledge of the investigation said FBI equipment helped in the collection of “electronic communication evidence” that led to the suspects.

The evidence included triangulation data of the call that triggered the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia.

The type of explosive used was TNT, the officials also said, contradicting earlier reports that Semtex plastic explosive had been used.

The officials agreed to discuss the case only if not quoted by name because they weren’t authorised to release details. — AP