9 denied bail over Safi detention centre disturbance

Nine men were yesterday charged with causing damage at the Ħal Safi detention centre and taking part in a co-ordinated criminal offence.

The men were also charged with making threats to police and detention centre officials, failing to obey their orders, and disturbing the peace.

The disturbance took place on Monday evening.

Tunisians Merwen Gbali, 27, Lotfi Ouedherfi, 57, and Querfelli Mahdi, 26, were charged in court along with the Egyptian Mohamed El Shennwayh Sheri , 51, Iraqi Hussaen Ahmed Hassan, 25, Syrian Ahmed Odali Alali, 24, Moroccan Ibrahim El Ayachi, 26, and Libyan Zakaria Abidat, 29.

A ninth individual, Mohammed Ali, was unable to attend the sitting yesterday as he was still at a clinic following the incident.

The police were called to the detention centre at around 6pm after the men caused a disturbance in their room, allegedly because they had felt ignored by staff at the detention centre. The men then barricaded a door with beds and heaters.

One of the accused stood up in court and insisted that the group had not caused any form of damage or injury to officers.

The men, who all pleaded not guilty to the charges, were denied bail after the prosecution successfully argued that potential witnesses were residents of the same detention centre.

Helga Buttigieg Scicluna and Mario Buttigieg appeared for the accused.

Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace presided over the court.

In a statement yesterday, the police said that ten men had been arrested and that the incident had started after a Palestinian migrant refused to be searched, as per procedure. It said the man was later taken to a health centre and needed stitches behind his ear. A magisterial inquiry was launched.