Maltese man accused of causing UK bomb scare, delaying trains
A Maltese man has been released on bail after having been accused of causing a bomb scare at Chichester and Emsworth, forcing train services to be delayed, the UK press is reporting.
Havant train station was evacuated at around 5.30pm on Thursday after reports of a person with a bomb on an arriving train.
Armed officers from Hampshire Constabulary and British Transport Police had stopped the 4.12pm Southampton Central to London Victoria service in Havant after passengers on-board heard a man talking about a bomb. Officers stopped and searched the train, but no devices were found. The man was arrested.
Many rail passengers left the Chichester station and were provided with a bus to Portsmouth. Two services had to be cancelled and another was hugely delayed.
The 25-year-old man from Malta, who was in the third coach, was arrested on suspicion of communicating a bomb hoax and for public order offences. He has now been granted bail and is to return to Southampton police station on Saturday, March 24.
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connie mifsud
Jan 29th, 11:16
I happen to know the man who is an innocent man who was sitting on a train talking to his father on the phone while the women sitting next to him was with her head phones on listening to music said she heard him say he has a bomb at no time did he mention the word bomb ......so please do not speculate before you know the facts: but here in malta everyone knows best......
Wenzu Vella
Jan 29th, 08:10
All the comments about this person are uncalled for. He was not deemed to be dangerous if he was granted bail was he now, be real and next time getting your facts right before you start blubbering would save a lot of ink and energy.
connie mifsud
Jan 29th, 11:25
i agree with you shame on all those who show no respect to an innocent well educated man who happen to be sitting next to someone who had no ears to hear anything except her music
Ramon Casha
Jan 29th, 07:28
One interesting observation: This event went by practically unnoticed in Chichester. No comments on the website where the report appeared. No responses to the website's tweets. Nothing. It was only reported as local news, not national or even regional. Just a minor event that nobody paid any attention to. And yet here are people calling for life imprisonment.
Some people need to restrain their knee-jerk reactions.
Ramon Casha
Jan 29th, 06:43
We should hear his version of events before jumping to conclusions. For all we know he said "Għandi kemm rajt film bomba" (I've just seen a great film" - which, to an English person, sounds like "slkdhfs sfd lkajdsha BOMB ajkfshd kajsd a"
Mr C Galea
Jan 29th, 01:11
If true,this story just shows you how malta and its laws and the generally relaxed attituded of the maltese public at large has to change from now on. Of course laws and better policing do come hand in hand and I question how this will be handled and executed? What a sad moment for malta.
Joe Fenech
Jan 28th, 22:08
So, this guy actually phoned from his mobile to tell the authorities that there was a bomb? Could he have been more stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trains have CCTV plus you can track a mobile phone super easily!
Joe Fenech
Jan 28th, 22:05
This guy thought he was in Malta where you can get away with murder! Make him pay for the expenses the authorities incurred. £10K should be a good figure and it will surely teach him a lesson!
James Dewar
Jan 28th, 21:03
The following is how the local press reported the matter. Hardly an overt threat and all a matter of perception as to what the "informants" actually heard and how they interpreted it. Obviously not deemed to be a major terror threat as he is bailed to re-appear in March!
"Train services had to be cancelled or delayed at Chichester and Emsworth after a bomb-scare.
Havant train station was evacuated at around 5.30pm yesterday (January 26) after reports of a person with a bomb on an arriving train.
Armed officers from Hampshire Constabulary and British Transport Police had stopped the 4.12pm Southampton Central to London Victoria service in Havant after passengers on-board heard a man talking about a bomb. Officers stopped and searched the train, but no devices were found.
Many rail passengers left the Chichester station and were provided with an alternative bus route to Portsmouth. Two services had to be cancelled and another was hugely delayed.
A 25-year-old man from Malta, who was in the third coach, was arrested on suspicion of communicating a bomb hoax and for public order offences. The man has been bailed and is due to return to Southampton police station on Saturday, March 24.
Anyone with information should contact British Transport P on 0800 405040 quoting incident number 39 of January 26. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
John Baldacchino
Jan 28th, 20:35
naqta rasi li l-istorja kienet xi haga hekk:
drinnn......drinnnn
"awwwww man kif sejjer, fej qieghed?"
"BOMBAAAAA man fuq it-train lejn victoria train station...zomm man ghax gara xi haga waqfet it-train u hawn xeba pulizija u kulhadd iharisli b' l-ikrah...tut..tut..tut"
Anthony Agius
Jan 28th, 19:58
probably all blown out of context. if he was talking to a colleague in Maltese, that was already enough to raise suspicion. maybe he was doing a johnny l-kayboy impersonation.......... HEHEHE BOMBA MANNN. The Brits do have a habit of panicking when they shouldnt yet they leave a person like Abu Hamza do as he pleases.
Rich Brad saunders
Jan 28th, 19:32
I hope this Maltese Moron will be locked up for along time, what a cheek coming over here and disrupt our public transport, i'm sure you blokes do the same in your country cause i know for a fact some tend to show hatred towards us Britains thats when the money runs out ofcourse, before all that you show your teeth and smile . Now i bet alot of you bloggers will write back something nasty as usual, because simply you just do not like the taste of your own medicine. Have a nice PEACEFUL weekend
jason smith
Jan 29th, 08:36
I'm British and have lived in Malta for many years now and have nothing but kind words to say about them. Before you start calling the Maltese Moron's, Do you have any knowledge of the Maltese language ?? for all we know he could have been talking in Maltese as they tend to use the word BOMBA when one is expressing something great, eg Jien Bomba = Im great, im good.
I'm not saying it's not a Hoax but don't jump to conclusions, The Maltese generally like and get on with us British................. Well the few British that we have left. Have a good weekend Mr Saunders.
Gustav Svensson
Jan 28th, 17:56
Its good that these boys dont have much of a brain so they are easy to catch. Lock em up.
dingaling rockcliffe
Jan 29th, 15:17
Are you absolutly sure Mr.Jason Smith maybe the Maltese should bestow on you a Knighthood or even the George Cross instead of bouncing it back to us eh me'ol sonner. I know one think if a Britain is lying in the gutter on one side and on the opposite side is a Malteser, i 'm sure he'll get first choice yes. Have a nice day friend. I know one thing also for sure they'll love you even more if you dangle a fiver infront of their noses, apart from charging us 2 tier prices, or perhaps i should learn the local ligo eh, why should i, English is the one and only international language and these people depend on us i, certainly do not depend on them.
Daniel Gauci
Jan 28th, 15:50
I think this is getting slightly out of context for what info is given.
During our A-level exams some student called in a bomb threat just so that it was cancelled, It had entertained my young, hung over mind once to call one in at work just so that I didn’t have to go (however, of course I didn’t).
My point is that it could be a misunderstanding or a more stupidly motivated stunt of some sorts, with no evidence and just hearsay to point out otherwise it is just fear mongering.
I think that speculation by people such as Mr Sumut below regarding religion, nationality and UK public perception is not needed and well off the mark at this point with so little info.
Could just as easily been a student on a come down not wanting to go to work.
Francis Coquelin
Jan 28th, 17:11
I suspect that he will definitely be wanting to go to work when he gets fined.
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 18:03
So, Daniel, what you are telling us is,that if he is "a student on a come down and not wanting to go to work"..it is justified for this guy to inconvenience so many hundreds of innocent commuters at a cost of thousands of pounds in wasted time !
I think I will stop here, as after reading your third sentence, I feel I will be "feeding diamonds to a pig"....so the saying goes!
Chris Harris
Jan 29th, 19:45
I couldn't have put it better myself Dinalingo, fair play to you Squire.
Henry Samut
Jan 28th, 15:28
What a disgrace! My son and friends travel very often on trains within Hampshire and London.....
Wonder what religion is he and whether he is really Maltese and not merely a Maltese passport holder entitling him entry to the EU? I do hope that the British people do not associate this person with the rest of the Island.
Once released, he should be immediately arrested upon arrival in Malta or deported if he is of foreign origin for bringing our Island into disrepute and potentially harming our tourist industry.
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 15:48
I really don't think this man will affect the tourist industry or the Maltese reputation IF it is found that he was wrongdoing (and it's a big IF). The British regard the Maltese too highly for that and the majority would regard the case as a 'one off'
Francis Coquelin
Jan 28th, 15:54
I suspect that most people in Britain have better things to do with their time (unlike you, apparently).
Mark Grech
Jan 28th, 16:42
I'm Glad that people with such extreme thoughts like yourself are not handeling such situations, the man was released so this shows that it was all a preventative measure incase of a real bomb. As we say in Maltese- ' tkabbarix is sitwazjoni'
Martin Cassar
Jan 28th, 17:27
@ Henry Samut.
Put your mind at rest sir.
Terrorism has no religion and has no race or nationality. Methinks no need to get worried at this point. We do not have oil in Malta and our resources are quite limited. Additionally and most importantly as far as UK foreign policy is concerned we are 'quite far' from the Illegal occupation ensued by the victims of Hitler's holocausts (Where the Zionists have been occupying for six decades- Israel.
Emma Xerri
Jan 29th, 05:47
@Martin Cassar
"terrorism has no religion"
Oh yes it does, it is overwhelmingly Muslim.
And just in case you have any doubt, here is a list of Islamic terrorists organizations (or as their enablers and apologists like to call them 'misunderstanders of Islam' from around the world (and no, Zionism has nothing to do with it, it is Islam that is the problem).
1) Moro "Islamic" front misunderstands in Philippines;
2) Jemehiah "Islamia" misunderstands in Indonesia;
3) Bodo's "Islamic" front misunderstands in Thailand;
4) Party se "Islam" misunderstands in Malaysia;
5) Hizbul Tahrir misunderstand in Australia;
6) Uighur ISlamic front misunderstands in China;
6) Lashkar Mohammed misunderstands in India;
7) Taliban misunderstand in Afghanistan;
6) Laskah e Toiba misunderstand in Pakistan;
7) Khomenie and gang misunderstand in Iran;
8) Moqtada Al Sadr misunderstands in Iraq;
9) Hezbollah misunderstands in Lebanon;
10) Hamas misunderstands in Jordan;
11) Whole of Saudi and GCC are misunderstanding;
12) Nour party and Muslim brotherhood misunderstand in Egypt;
13) NLF in Libya is misunderstanding in Libya;
14) Boko Haram is misunderstanding in Nigeria;
15) Whole of Sudan is misunderstanding;
16) Chechens are misunderstanding in Russia;
17) Kosovars are misunderstanding in Balkans;
18) Assorted Imams are misunderstanding in Europe;
19) Assorted Imams are misunderstanding in US; and
20) Not to mention Somalia.
Islamic terrorists have carried out more than 18,364 terrorist attacks since 2001 in various parts of the world. The number of people killed since the inception of Islam is estimate to be around 250 million.
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 14:59
I am sure this case will be investigated properly and if the man was just using the word coloquially then he will not be charged. Police HAVE to investigate all reports of terrorism to protect citizens from maniacs like Bin Laden and his motley crew and all other extremists. If there was a bomb on that train and the Maltese man was not in any way connected, but killed in the blast you would say that the authorities were not doing their job!! Wait for the facts first and grow up please?
Jonathan Barbara
Jan 28th, 14:43
Maltese man on mobile: "Hello, George! I'm almost there. Have you got all we ordered?"
Other person on mobile: "Sure, of course. And we got an extra pair of beer for free, it was on special offer!"
Maltese man on mobile: "Bomba man! We'll set (it) off once I get to the station"
Bomba...
Tim Ganado
Jan 28th, 13:22
Civilised society has no place for these jokers who through their inconsiderate action create and cause threat and fear together with disruption to hundreds of thousands of commuters. Well done to the British Transport Police for dealing with these enemies of civilised society appropriately.
Michael Borg
Jan 28th, 11:32
so it s illegal ? to use the word Bomb on a train ? maybe he was disccusing news he read on the internet or tv !!!!
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 20:23
It is illegal to joke about carying weapons or talking about bombs in airports or on airlines. You can be arrested for what you see as a joke but other people have to deal with the casualties and fatalities of such bombings so everything has to be taken seriously until proved otherwise. So Yes, it is illegal to talk of bombs on transport in UK and USA
Ġ. Agius
Jan 28th, 11:28
It's probably a racist frame up by the bigoted British towards a dear fellow Maltese of ours
shame on them
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 12:09
Don't be bloody stupid!!!!
Franco Abela
Jan 28th, 12:25
At G.Agius..... and what makes you think that? Please support your opinion otherwise you'd better keep your comments to yourself!
Mr David Calleja
Jan 28th, 12:29
int bis serjeta??? what a lame brain you are pfff
G Hoare
Jan 28th, 12:37
CHARLES SAMMUT,,,FRANCO ABELA
DONT YOU GET IT THAT IS WHAT OTHER NATIONALS SAY WHEN WE COMMENT ,I LIVE IN UK AND FOR BEING MALTESE I WAS DISCRIMINATED BUT I NEVER SHOUTED OUT RACIAL DISCRININATION ,YET IF YOU ARE OF A DARKER SKIN THEY QUICKLY JUMP UP SCREANING IT .
john gittos
Jan 28th, 13:02
Your comments are distasteful , and offensive to me personally in July 2005 a friend of mine was injured in the bombings in London , that person today cannot walk , so if some idiot thinks its funny to pretend he his carrying a bomb then he deserves the full force of the law , you see perhaps if you lived in London or New York you would know why these matters are taken seriously .As far as the bigoted British are concerned , well I have a Maltese mother and an English father and trust me I am proud of both countries , there are bigots where ever you go ,I could say that Malta are full of idiots like you but of course I unlike you know better .
M Borg
Jan 28th, 13:14
How stupid ! Why should they do that ??
J. Abela
Jan 28th, 13:22
ara veru ...
Daniel Gauci
Jan 28th, 13:48
Are you just a Malta Times troll? Are you here solely to stir ridiculous debates or do you have some issues?
A totally unjustifiable statement, as per usual.
Not saying that the guy has done wrong - but your evaluation and conclusion, for want of a better word, sucks.
Paul Micallef
Jan 28th, 14:53
Ha ha ha what mean the MET dont have nothing to do?. He rang from HIS MOBILE and they traced him you idiot.
Victor Boyde
Jan 28th, 15:28
G Agius GET A LIFE!!
Francis Coquelin
Jan 28th, 15:32
Did someone steal your brain while you were sleeping?
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 17:47
@ Francis Coquelin
What brain?
John Dee
Jan 28th, 19:13
I think you need professional help Mr Agius. Soon!
John Dee
Jan 28th, 19:31
Well said Mr Gittos
P Bonnici
Jan 28th, 23:55
Ġ. Agius, don't be such an idiot, I have lived in the UK for 32 years. The British police is the most upright police force in the world.
I have never had any problems with them.
Roland M Sollars
Jan 29th, 13:40
G Agius...shame on you to state such a statement as your argument is based on water vapour. I am a very tolerant person when it comes to opinions. However I pity you. All Maltese and British subjects can never approve such a sick, distasetful comment.
Diane Vella
Jan 28th, 11:27
Oh how i love those news! When a Maltese is caught doing illegal things outside his county. Hope they jail him for life! Just image this was an arab or african man here in Malta! I can imagine all the mean coments people would write about him. This just shows that people wherever they come from are all the same!
Daniel Gauci
Jan 28th, 13:42
"Hope they jail him for life"
I really hope you are being sarcastic - if not you are doing nothing to convince people that the Maltese are still stuck with draconian almost medieval mentalities.
You gave the game away when you brought race into the matter.
Mr J BaldryFarrugia
Jan 28th, 14:09
Somehow Mr.Sammut i know there is a hint of truth of what Mr.Agtius says, i do not think he is talking rubbish. I know from experience whilst i lived in London for a while.all foreigners are look down upon by the locals and the police as suspicious, so if i were you i would give him the benefit of the doubt.
Mr Johann Mifsud
Jan 28th, 15:22
All the same, I bet you live in your own world!!
Charles W. Sammut
Jan 28th, 10:52
Where are the usual politically correct commentators who object to an alleged criminal's nationality being mentioned? But then political correctness is not colour blind.
Mario Aquilina
Jan 28th, 10:29
We do not yet know the details of the case to come up with statements like those of Ms Peterson. What if this guy was speaking in Maltese and using the word "bomba" in a colloquial way such as in "Bomba, man!" to refer to something great? It might be a question of cultural-linguistic misunderstanding rather than a genuine bomb hoax.
Christian Sant
Jan 28th, 10:41
in that case... he must be feeling bomba right now
Alan Attard
Jan 28th, 10:55
Forsi waqt li kien fuq it-train u kien fuq il-mobile kellu xi bomba quddiemu!
Good point Mario
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 12:08
It's healthy for one to have a sense of humour....but in the case of a bomb hoax my dear chappie....sick and childish humour such as yours is very,very sick and very,very immature!
Have you ever seen victims of suicide bombers or terrorists?!?
I guarantee you, if you or a member of your family ended up being maimed or killed by a bomb, you will definitely NOT think it funny when some twit like this guy plays this kind of dangerous ,stupid game!
The Judicial system in the UK is not as lenient as ours when it comes to this kind of idiocy!
...and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on.......
Mario Aquilina
Jan 28th, 12:34
Mr Charles Sammut. In no way I am being humorous. If you read my post well (I am doubting if you can actually do so), I in no way indicate that I am joking about what would be a very serious matter if proven true. My point is simply that since the facts of the case are not known--the story only says that some passengers heard him speak about a bomb--this could well be a case of misunderstanding. Has the guy been proven to have said that he has a bomb. If he was speaking in Maltese (article does not state this) how could the other passengers have understood what he was saying?
James Wightman
Jan 28th, 14:35
Have to agree with Mario I remember an American tourist complaining to the press because she had seen a sign banning jews from the pulbic gardens in Gozo I think simply because she saw the word 'jew' of course it was in Maltese. Yes someone could be on a train on the mobile saying 'bomba' most english passengers would think it meant bomb. Bomba is mearly a term of phrase after all...
Alistair Busuttil
Jan 28th, 15:34
he could have been talking about the jager bombs he had the night before at the bar
Roland M Sollars
Jan 28th, 19:32
My hypothesis is very similar to Mr. Aquilina's argument. The word "Bomba" is a colloquial word translated to the colloquial "wicked" or "nice" in English.
If the truth comes out to be this scenario, then it could be very embarrassing for some people (had it been more serious, the man would have been detained rather than placed on bail) although I must commend the passenger for alerting the police. A better safe than sorry situation.
However are the Maltese from now on going to be banned from talking to each other in Maltese when in the UK in order to avoid further bomb alerts? Sounds rather humouristic (if not tragic) to me.
Ramon Casha
Jan 29th, 06:50
@Charles Sammut: Was it a bomb hoax or a bomb scare? If he did it intentionally to create a panic it's a bomb hoax, but if some passengers overheard him saying something like "xtrajt żarbun bomba" - and reacted to the only word they understood, it was a scare. In the latter case the only thing he's guilty of is stupidity, and if we had to jail everyone who's stupid we'd need to allocate half the country to be used as a jail.
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 10:22
Let us hope he won't get a suspended sentence....but then again this idiot broke the law in England and not in the island in the sun, so I very much doubt it.
Lock him up and I hope there won't be any interference from the local authorities!
Joseph Camilleri
Jan 28th, 11:11
but hey look.. he's been granted bail! so perhaps the UK courts have a similar interpretation of justice after all. let's now all blame GonziPN.
James Dewar
Jan 28th, 11:55
Broke what law?
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 12:11
@ James Dewar..... my dear chappie, if this guy played a game and created a bomb hoax... does'nt this constitute breaking of the law?....
Joseph Camilleri
Jan 28th, 12:36
@Charles Sammut: Perhaps James Dewar's point is that he hasn't been tried and found guilty of anything yet. a person is innocent until found guilty.
Henry Samut
Jan 28th, 15:34
Well said Sir (your comment re bad joke - 12:08) !
My son attends college in Hampshire. He and his friends catch trains frequently within Hampshire and London!
James Dewar
Jan 28th, 20:54
From the scant information given it is not at all clear what he did or did not say! Hence difficult to know if he did in fact break any law. Perhaps more detail would confirm that he either did or did not. Could equally be a gross over-reaction but at this stage we simply do not know. With the London Olympics looming and the tightening of security even an innocent casual remark risks being met with the full force of the law. Given the "culprit" is apparently Maltese if he has that "mediterranean" appearance that would no doubt also raise the stakes!
Peter Murray
Jan 28th, 09:44
What will happen to Debono for also causing what was tantamount to a bomb scare in Parliament which,as with most similar cries of the wolf is coming ,turned out to be simply a false alarm,benign nuisance?
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th, 13:47
@ Joseph Camilleri.....another stupid comment! What does this bomb hoax have to do with gonziPN or PL or Maltese politics?!? Why is it that morons like you have to involve politics in everything that occurs?!?!?
However if you feel you want to blame gonziPN.....go for it, but I do not think that lawrence would be amused, he has enough on his plate for the time being...
...and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on......
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 14:58
Why do you politics obsessed people have to try to turn around a story that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Maltese government, into a political discussion. You are all completely mad!
Karl Consiglio
Jan 28th, 09:43
Typical Maltese to say you gonna do something and then not do it
P Bonnici
Jan 28th, 23:56
Please don't include ME - thank you.
Peter Murray
Jan 28th, 09:36
All he said was that the rail fares were costing him a bomb!
Mr Tony Gatt
Jan 28th, 11:52
@ Peter Murray
Good one- they do!!
James Dewar
Jan 28th, 11:56
Not wrong there then!
Pauline Peterson
Jan 28th, 09:27
Granted bail - keep him locked up. He is a menace and a danger to other people.
Mr Henry A. Grima
Jan 28th, 09:41
Jumpy!!
Talking about bombs is not exactly having a bomb; maybe that's why he was granted bail.
Daniel Gauci
Jan 28th, 09:45
Hardly a menace to society - granted, what he did was out of order and wrong but if you live in the UK you would know that is fairly low down on the list of people you want locked up.
Perspective.
Mr M Briffa Viva malta
Jan 28th, 11:00
Yes i understand Mr.Gauci but to the British a Maltese is just another foreigner an outsider from the south of europe, and knowing the British Police they just trive on such news especially if he or she happens to be just a foreigner! but then again their aree nutters everywhere noadays, British and Maltese no difference especially after a skin full.
G Hoare
Jan 28th, 11:46
COME on Pauline if anyone have to be a menace in Malta we lock them up,TOO the prisone would be full of EUROPEANS,LOL I rememeber
James Dewar
Jan 28th, 11:59
Rash statement based on no proper information as to what he said or the context it was said in. Need more detail before we can act as judge and jury.
Mr Tony Gatt
Jan 28th, 12:00
@ Mr. Briffa
"....and for public order offences." There must have been another reason, but don't forget that the U.k. is on a heightened terrorist alert at the moment.
Joseph Camilleri
Jan 28th, 13:27
unbelievable what a poor understand people have of society. lock him up? without a proper trial? and what if someone made a mistake? is it ok to leave him locked up until he has his trial?
A Camilleri
Jan 28th, 17:09
I'm glad you are not in charge of putting people away Mrs....we'd all be locked up for the slightest thing without a fair hearing! Your's not relate to a certain (late) Gaddafi geezer are you?