The 22-year-old Libyan who went on a stabbing spree in Paceville was not involved in the initial argument between a group of three Libyans in the early hours of Sunday morning, a court heard.
Notwithstanding this, Ehab Zorgani, who was only slightly inebriated at the time, decided to stab multiple people, including innocent passers by.
Mr Zorgani is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder and grievous bodily harm of Libyan Hadji Salah and Dutchman Antoon Van der Heide.
Mr Zorgani is also charged with grievously injuring Richard Galea, Ali Muhannad Fadlalla, another Libyan, and two more Dutchmen, Brian Jan Bos and De Roo Neik.
Prosecuting officer Silvio Baldacchino told the court that CCTV footage which captured the incident corroborated Mr Zorgani's statement to the police that the argument first erupted between a dreadlocked acquaintance of Mr Zorgani, whose name is unknown to the police, and Mr Salah.
It is understood that a highly intoxicated Mr Salah, who was accompanied by his friend Mr Fadlalla, was harassing women and making a nuisance of himself. The dreadlocked acquaintance approached Mr Salah and upbraided him, telling him that "it is because of people like you that us Arabs get a bad name".
Mr Salah did not respond well to the admonishing and an argument erupted down in the hill where the Axis nightclub used to be located.
Mr Zorgani, who knew none of his victims, produced a flick knife and slashed at Mr Salah and at Mr Fadlalla. Mr Salah was critically injured, suffering from multiple stab wounds to the face and to the back.
Richard Galea and his girlfriend Nicole Ghigo testified before Magistrate Audrey Demicoli. Mr Galea, who bore visible injuries to the left side of his face, said that his girlfriend and himself were walking down the hill towards their car, when Mr Zorgani suddenly appeared, running up the hill.
"Suddenly a man was running up at me, offending people in Maltese," Mr Galea told the court.
"He struck out at me. At first I thought he had punched me but then a lot of blood gushed out of my mouth and I nearly lost consciousness."
Ms Ghigo said that following the attack, she saw Mr Zorgani approach two men who were sitting atop a wall to provoke them. She recounted how one of the Libyans, who had a slash wound to his upper left arm, told her that he was stabbed by the same person that injured her boyfriend.
Mr Zorgani was arrested by the entrance of the Cynergy gym, having been identified through his white top and a heavy silver choker he was wearing.
Inspector Baldacchino told the court that Mr Zorgani attacked the three Dutchmen in a similar way. Neither of the three were involved in the argument.
Despite being summoned to testify, the court was told that the three had left to island to return home. Although they were expected to remain in Malta until January, Dutch ambassador Joop Nijssen told the court that the young men suffered significant trauma and their families had asked them to return.
The case continues.