The explosive device that went off at the residence of a businessman in Gozo on Friday was probably made in Malta, it emerged yesterday as police searched the homes of two people they have identified as suspects.

Sources close to the investigation told the Times of Malta that the police had evidence which led them to believe the device was manufactured in Malta and delivered to Gozo.

As they investigated the case over the weekend, the police carried out searches at the homes of two suspects.

Sandro Ciliberti, 45, and his partner escaped unscathed as the blast from a bomb placed outside their residence in Ġnien Xibla Street rocked the village of Xagħra in the early hours of Friday.

The explosion occurred at about 3.50am, causing extensive damage to Mr Ciliberti’s Mercedes and leaving a gaping hole in his wooden garage door.

The consequences could have been tragic: the garage contained four large gas cylinders used for his kiosk in Comino, which were dented by the blast.

Police sources said court experts were analysing metal pieces from the device found at the scene. This indicated the initial belief – that the device bore similarities with explosives used in the pyrotechnic industry – was likely to have been incorrect.

The sources said investigators were analysing Mr Ciliberti’s business links as well as his past with the aim of closing in on the culprit.

One focus of investigators’ attention is a beach concession awarded by the Malta Tourism Authority to Mr Ciliberti last year for the hiring of umbrellas and deckchairs at Santa Marija Bay in Comino.

The contract was won by Mr Ciliberti following a bidding process amid harsh competition. A few weeks after starting operations, the businessman claimed that part of his property in Comino was damaged in an arson attack.