Bomb found in Qormi

A powerful time bomb was yesterday discovered in an abandoned Qormi factory, just five days after a Transport Malta office was rocked by an explosion from another bomb.

Unlike last week’s incident, however, no one was injured yesterday. The device, which according to army sources had a blast range of about 100 metres, was neutralised. It is not known whether it had been set to explode.

There were other elements which set the two bombs apart: the TM bomb is thought to have been made with TNT while yesterday’s was built with “pyrotechnic material” and encased in a “heavy metal container,” an Armed Forces of Malta spokesman said. Moreover, the device found yesterday had an electronic timer while the bomb which devastated the transport authority offices, injuring two, is believed to have been detonated manually with a string.

Nonetheless, investigators are keeping all options open at this stage and are not ruling out a link, police sources said.

The police said they were informed of a “suspicious object” at about 12.45 p.m. It lay on the ground in the shell of a former tomato products factory, Malta Canners Ltd, which stands adjacent to a cluster of residences.

Officers, explosive disposal personnel and paramedics were on site within minutes and enforced a no-go zone.

Residents were evacuated while the explosives personnel established that a potential blast could not affect the nearby school. The road leading to the factory was closed off until about 4.40 p.m.

The device was taken to another abandoned building across the road, away from the residences, where the explosives team disarmed it.

Mary Bongailas, who lives near the factory, was returning home from shopping when she was told that the street was closed, while her sister-in-law Catherine rushed to the site from her workplace to make sure her family, which included her daughter and her child, were safe.

Duty magistrate Audrey Demicoli is leading the inquiry.