Started at dawn, police operations are reportedly still ongoing on the island: ten, so far, arrested for the murder of the Maltese journalist
Ten arrested so far on suspicion of being the material perpetrators of the bombing. Almost two months after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the journalist and activist investigating relations between politics, finance and the underworld on the island, Joseph Muscat, Malta’s prime minister, announced the arrest, initially, of eight people, all Maltese nationals, all suspected of helping to turn Daphne’s car into the bomb that claimed her life on Oct. 16.
Around 11 a.m., after the press conference held by Muscat, a second announcement appeared on the Maltese government’s official Twitter profile: two more arrests were made by the police, who continue to guard the territory and search for other perpetrators.
All Maltese, some with criminal records: the meager profile of the ten arrestees released so far by authorities
Joint operations by police and armed forces, as reported by local media, have mainly focused on the town of Marsa in the south of the island, but have also extended to other areas.
It is not yet clear, however, whether the 10 arrested, some of whom are already known to law enforcement, include the masterminds of the bombing. The detention will expire in 48 hours: investigators will be tasked with questioning them and deciding whether or not to validate the arrest.
// THE REACTIONS The news of the arrests went around the world within minutes, but some people wait before launching into triumphant statements. Caroline Muscat (one of the creators of TheShiftNews, the portal set up to follow up on Daphne’s investigations), retorts thus to those on Facebook who point out the paper’s delay in reporting the news of the arrests: “We do not parrot what the government says. (…) We observe, and we will talk later.”
Just a few hours ago, still through the social network, Matthew Caruana Galizia, Daphne’s son and also a journalist, had made an appeal to his compatriots: “Justice,” he wrote, “is your right, not a favor that some cowardly minister may decide to dispense or deny. If you do not receive it, please do not ask for it. Rebel against the state. Break your dependence on politicians. You do not need them. They are the ones who need you.”
