An Italian bar owner and her employee recounted the chaos when police turned up to arrest a male customer — who later turned out to be one of the suspects behind the armed hold-up at a Tigne jewellery store on October 5.

This information was disclosed in court this morning in the course of proceedings against Albanian Daniel Muka, 22, currently facing charges of the attempted murder of three police officers who turned up to arrest him over his suspected involvement in the coup at the Diamonds International shop earlier this month.

A female witness, who owns the wine bar in St George’s Bay where the arrest took place, testified in court that on the evening of October 12, she was talking to an Italian couple outside a clothes shop she owns in the same locality, when chaos suddenly broke out.

Some six police cars drove up and stopped outside the bar, lights flashing and people screaming. Pulling down the shutter of the clothes shop, in a few minutes she had crossed over to the wine bar where, just outside, she caught sight of a handcuffed man, being restrained by police officers between two cars.

Identifying the accused as the man whose arrest she had witnessed, the lady recalled having seen “a gun on the roof of a police car” although she could not state where the weapon had come from.

A foreign employee, who on that eventful night happened to be running the wine bar, explained how close to 11pm, the police suddenly converged on the scene and arrested the accused.

The employee recalled that the accused was sitting at a corner outside the bar in the company of another man, having served them in person.

Upon the sudden appearance of the police and upon being told that he was under arrest, the suspect had reacted aggressively, standing up and attacking the officer, the witness recalled, acting out in court the physical motions of the suspect on that night. The other customer had not reacted to the police presence the same way, the court was told.

Two other police officers intervened to restrain the accused – who the employee also identified in court – remarking that he generally memorised faces of customers at the bar, his particular hairstyle making him even more identifiable.

Once the man was restrained and handcuffed, the bar attendant, who understood Maltese, heard police officers talking about the gun placed on top of one of the police vehicles and understood that the weapon belonged to the accused.

Although he could not tell where the gun had come from, the bar attendant had observed the police placing the weapon inside an evidence bag.

The case, being presided by Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, continues in December.

Inspector Carlos Cordina prosecuted and lawyer Noel Bianco was defence counsel.