Foreigner breaks into bank 'to eat and rest'

The police were in for a surprise on Wednesday evening when they responded to an alarm at the HSBC branch in Msida - inside was a Japanese man who claimed he was merely looking for food and a place to sleep.

The 22-year old said he had lost his passport and had nowhere to live and had entered the high-security bank in search of food to appease his hunger, sources said.

The bank's alarm was triggered at 7.30 p.m., just hours after an armed hold-up at the HSBC branch in St Andrew's.

As they cautiously made their way into the building, located on one of Malta's busiest roads, members of the special assignment group - SAG, the mobile squad and district police, accompanied by the bank's keyholders, were unaware that they were about to solve a most bizarre break-in.

The burglar was spotted in an inner office on the first floor crouching behind a desk. He was ordered to lie on the ground and did not offer any resistance when he was arrested. Investigations showed he had entered the bank by levering open one of the metal bars in the inner yard and breaking a bathroom window.

The man told the police he had searched through the archive room and then went to the offices upstairs looking for food, where he found packets of noodles and biscuits.

After munching his way through the food, he tried to leave the branch through the front door, without any success, according to police sources.

The suspect told the police he had been in Malta for a year to study English but had decided to quit the course. He also claimed he had recently lost his passport and that he did not have anywhere to sleep.

The man was handed over to the police at the criminal investigation department.

The buildings in the area surrounding the bank were also inspected.

Police Inspector Stephen Gatt informed Duty Magistrate Anthony Vella, who ordered an inquiry.

The man is to be arraigned shortly.