Man arrested in connection with Senglea shooting

A 32-year-old man from Kalkara was last night arrested by the police in connection with a shooting incident at Senglea yesterday morning.

The man allegedly fired two shots close to the residence of the mayor of Senglea in the early hours of the morning.

No one was injured.

The police said Senglea mayor Joseph Casha phoned them to raise the alarm, telling them that there was a person uttering foul language and threatening his son in front of their residence in Two Gates Street.

Mr Casha reported hearing the man shouting "come down and I'll shoot you" and that he also threatened to set somebody's garage on fire.

The man then fetched a shotgun from his Fiat car and fired several shots.

As the police went to answer the mayor's call, they noticed a car speeding away from the scene. The car headed towards Gavino Gulia Square and on towards Fgura.

The mobile squad were called to intercept the vehicle, but the man managed to escape. The car was later found in Fgura. But the man managed to allude arrest until after 8 p.m.

Contacted yesterday, Mr Casha said he heard some shouting at about 4.30 a.m.

"I looked out of a window and saw this man, whom I could not identify as it was dark. I know he had an old Fiat and he was shouting 'come down, I am going to burn your garage'.

"I called the police and asked my son Renald, who is a carpenter and who lives with us, whether he had any problems with the man and he assured me that he had not.

"I am not sure if the insults were directed at my son as the man in the street started shouting 'Inzel ja minfuh' (Come down you fat man), and as my son is plump, I suspected he could have had an argument with him. Some time later I heard some shots," Mr Casha said. The police later recovered two spent cartridges.

Police sources said they wanted to speak to the man to hear his version. The sources said the man was married and used to live opposite the Senglea mayor, but had left the house quite some time ago. It could be that he had an axe to grind with a fat man, the sources said.

Magistrate Joe Cassar was informed and appointed a number of experts to assist in the inquiry.

Inspector David Saliba is investigating.