Man arrested a few minutes after alleged Naxxar theft - police

A 26-year-old man from Serbia was arrested on Wednesday just a few minutes after allegedly committing a theft, the police said.

The 26-year-old man had allegedly entered an apartment on Pjazza Toni Bajada in Naxxar, with a 42year-old Dutch man and a 29-yearold French woman inside.

The Serbian man allegedly tied them up and asked for money, while threatening them with a gun, the police said. He also allegedly injured the Dutch man with a knife. After allegedly stealing money and other items, he had fled the scene. The Dutch man and the woman were taken to hospital - the man for his injuries which were slight, and the woman as she had suffered from shock.

The police searched for the suspect and found a man fitting the description. They approached him, where the man seemed to have tried to hide a basket, the police said. The police had then searched the suspect and found a gun and other objects in the basket. They eventually found the man’s car and searched it, inside which a knife and other objects were found. The Serbian man was taken to the police lock-up. A magisterial inquiry is currently ongoing.