Individuals questioned amid intensive investigations into bomb blast

The police are questioning a number of people as part of their intensive investigation into yesterday's bomb blast at the Transport Malta office at Sa Maison Hill which seriously injured a traffic expert.

The bomb also injured Konrad Pule, the Transport Malta chief officer for land transport, and investigators are looking into the possibility that he was the intended target since the bomb was lowered to his second floor office window from the hill behind the building.

Experts have described the explosive device as having been an expertly-made fragmentation bomb, full of bolts meant to cause injury over a wide area. It is not clear whether it was set off by a timer.

Major Peter Ripard, the traffic consultant who lost part of his left leg in the explosion, was in Mr Pule's office, close to the window, at the time of the blast.

Police officers and forensics experts were back at the office and the Pinetum behind the building this morning looking for more clues.

Major Ripard 74, has been visited by the Prime Minister, Transport Minister Austin Gatt and the Archbishop.