Libyan who allegedly attacked off-duty officers denied bail

A Libyan man, who allegedly attacked a group of off-duty policemen and women with a knife in Paceville last Saturday, appeared before Magistrate Giovanni Grixti charged with attempted grevious bodily harm this afternoon.

Munir Mohamed Ali Gammudi, 33, appeared before Magistrate Giovanni Grixti charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer and slightly injuring three others, after he was involved in an altercation with a group of off-duty police officers in Paceville and knocked unconscious in the fight.

This was not Gammudi's first run-in with the law – in August he had injured himself jumping into the sea at St. Julians whilst attempting to escape arrest for drug possession.

He was further charged with carrying a knife without a licence, violently resisting arrest and breaching previous bail conditions.

Gammudi woke up in hospital, under police guard. After his discharge, he was rearrested. Lawyer Giannella De Marco, appearing for Gammudi, claimed that he had not been made aware of the fact that he had been released while he was in hospital.

She contested the arrest, telling the court that the accused had effectively been under arrest without charge for over 48 hours - the maximum allowed by law.

He had not been informed, said De Marco, in a language he understands, that he was no longer under arrest, whilst in hospital. Furthermore, there was always a policeman in the ward, which meant that he was not really free.

The lawyer told the court that a Maltese woman who was also hurt in the fracas had made a statement describing her assailant as wearing a white shirt and Gammudi was not dressed this way.

The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that the accused had only been in Malta for four months and he was already on bail for another offence. In fact, said Prosecuting Inspector Elton Taliana, he should have been at home at the time of the incident, as it was past his curfew. Furthermore, as he had already breached bail conditions, he was demonstrably untrustworthy and therefore a flight risk.

In fact, said De Marco, allegations come from both sides as one woman claimed that she was slashed by one of the off-duty police officers. Furthermore, she said, the accused was a refugee and had an interest in staying in Malta and was not a flight risk.

The court, however held that the accused was untrustworthy and ordered he be remanded in custody.