Blast maims traffic expert

Two Transport Malta officials were injured, one of them losing a leg, when a handmade bomb was dangled outside the second floor office window and went off while a meeting was in progress yesterday morning.

Major Peter Ripard, a traffic consultant, lost his left leg in the blast and Konrad Pulé, the chief officer of land transport within the authority, was slightly injured, sources said.

In what looks like a carefully planned attack, the bomb, packed with “fragments” intended to magnify the damage caused, was dangled by a cord from the bastions lining the Sa Maison pine grove, known as the Pinetum, behind the Transport Malta offices. It is not yet known how it was detonated.

Major Ripard, 74, was in a meeting in Mr Pulé’s office when the bomb exploded at about 9.55 a.m. Despite the gravity of his injuries Major Ripard was not in a critical condition.

His sister, Marylou Coppini, said the family was under shock but was not in a position to say much more. “As a retired member of the Royal Malta Artillery he was very active even for his age and very dedicated to his job,” she said.

Police believe the bomb was aimed at Mr Pulé, 32, who also happens to be the frontman of rock band Scar and the son of magician Vanni Pulé. His office was clearly visible from the grove.

Transport Minister Austin Gatt “strongly condemned” the violence against the officials who “are only guilty of doing their job responsibly and with a strong sense of service to the public”.