The assault rifle suspected to be the weapon used in Friday’s murder had a special magazine that carries almost twice as many rounds as the standard version, raising suspicions it could have come from conflict-ridden Libya.
Kalashnikov AK-47.The Kalashnikov AK-47 was found in a burnt Opel Corsa that had been abandoned in a field at Tal-Virtù, in Rabat, a 10-minute drive from the farmhouse in Buskett Road, limits of Buskett where Raymond Caruana, 54, was gunned down in a gangster-style assassination.
The drum cartridge can carry up to 50 rounds instead of the standard 30 bullets. In fact, dozens of bullets were sprayed at the car, five or six hitting Mr Caruana in vital spots such as his chest, face, hands and legs.
The bullet shells found at the murder scene corresponded to those used by an AK-47, sources said. However, forensic tests on the spent bullet casings would have to be done to establish this with certainty and also conclude whether the weapon was used in other murders.
Libya is awash with the sort of weapon found in the torched car but sources close to the investigation said the particular magazine on the weapon raised suspicion about its provenance.
Mr Caruana, who had a criminal profile with the police, was reversing his Jeep Wrangler out of the drive of his farmhouse when he was shot dead at about 9.20pm. The police believe the killer was waiting outside the farmhouse, hidden in the long grass.
Almost 24 hours later, a farmer alerted the police to the burnt Opel Corsa, which had been reported stolen months earlier.
The farmhouse where Mr Caruana was shot has a number of closed-circuit TV cameras outside. The police examined the footage and it appears the killer made sure to remain out of sight.
Mr Caruana’s girlfriend, who was inside the farmhouse, heard the shots and ran outside to find him bleeding on the ground. She immediately alerted the police.
Libya is awash with the sort of weapon found in the torched car
It is thought that, despite his injuries, he managed to open the car door but then fell out, with the engine still running and the wipers switched on.
The sources said Mr Caruana’s killer had examined the victim’s movements prior to the murder. The victim used to visit his farmhouse quite often.
No arrests have been made so far but the police have spoken to a number of people.
Investigators are not excluding anything with regard to the motive behind the crime, including a possible link with last year’s tit-for-tat killings by gang members involved in turf wars over the past three years.
Three years ago, in December 2012, Mr Caruana had been accused – together with Sandro Psaila – of attempting to bribe the late former judge Ray Pace to influence the outcome of a sentence in which drug trafficker Darren Desira was jailed for 18 years and fined €46,000. The attempted bribery case has not been concluded yet.
This is the second murder this year. Silvana Muscat, 36, was found dead in a pool of blood in a St Paul’s Bay apartment on March 12. The police have issued a European arrest warrant against her estranged Libyan husband Nour Hamid, 35, who left the island the day before her body was found.