A man who allegedly snatched two chains from the neck of an Italian tourist was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Mohamed Abdirisak Ahmad, a 21-year old Somali-born, believed to reside in Malta, was the main suspect behind the snatch-and-run incident targeting the Italian.

Taking the witness stand, the Italian recalled how just a few hours earlier at around 3am, he had been walking back to his hotel when two men sidled up and after approaching him with "small talk", one of them snatched the gold and silver chains. He had only bought them in the morning from a Valletta store for €350 and €140 respectively. 

“Are you sure that this is the guy?” asked duty Magistrate Ian Farrugia, to which the alleged victim promptly replied “Yes, I’m 100% sure. I wouldn't send him to jail otherwise.”

The arrested man's request for bail was strongly objected to by the prosecuting officer who pointed out that the suspect had no fixed residence, no ties in Malta and could therefore easily abscond. Moreover, the value of the alleged theft amounted to almost €500.

Upholding the prosecution's arguments, the court turned down the request for bail and remanded the man in custody to await continuation of proceedings.

Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted. Lawyer Patrick Valentino was defence counsel.