Update 2 [VIDEO] Fireworks explosive used in bomb targeting police inspector
Minister vows full force of the law to prevail on perpetrator • Opposition demands 'merciless punishment • Bomb targets house of police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi, in Zurrieq • Magistrate Natasha Sciberras leads inquiry on site together with AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi
A bomb that detonated on Blue Grotto Avenue in Zurrieq targeted the house of police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi.
The bomb exploded at 4:30am Tuesday morning, causing maximum damage to the house's facade, blowing the garage door wide open and causing damage on the first storey of the house.
Azzopardi, 38, was at home with his wife, 38 and two children aged 13, seven and a toddler. Nobody was injured in the explosion. It was Azzopardi who called the police soon after the bomb detonated.
Damage from the bomb, heard over a wide area, was also caused to neighbouring houses and parked cars.
I condemn the act of violence against Inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi. Violence against public officers is not acceptable and must be punished.
— Dr Manuel Mallia (@drmanuelmallia) November 4, 2014
Nikkundanna bil-qawwa kollha l-attentat li ghadu kemm sar fuq il-familja u d-dar tal-iSpettur tal-Pulizija... http://t.co/ZqzNtQMHac
— Jason Azzopardi (@AzzopardiJason) November 4, 2014
MaltaToday is informed that the bomb used was detonated using an electric current, possibly through a mobile phone or remote switch.
The bomb was placed at the doorstep of the Azzopardi first-floor maisonette, which is accessible through the ground-floor and whose entrance is recessed by a small staircase.
No ball bearings or metal shrapnel were found inside the bomb.
But the material used was pyrotechnical, probably used in the manufacture of fireworks.
The structural damage caused was to the neighbouring garage, adjacent to Azzopardi’s father’s house. Sources said the explosion would have been fatal to any passer-by.
Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, currently abroad, sent out a tweet condemning the attack. "I condemn this act of violence against Inspector Jeffrey Azzopardi, violence against public officers in not acceptable and must be heavily punished."
In a statement later issued by the ministry, Mallia said that the attack on a public official was a cowardly and vile attack against the State, "and the State must defend all members of the disciplined corps and safeguard them with all its might."
Shocked at the news of a bomb exploding outside Insp. Jeffrey Azzopardi's house. Solidarity with the Inspector. Justice must be done.
— Owen Bonnici (@OwenBonnici) November 4, 2014
Both Mallia and the Prime Minister have been in telephonic contact with Azzopardi. The minister said in a statement that he would demand that anything gets done to carry out the person responsible for the attack. The government also said that a team is on site to start repair works on the residence.
Shadow minister Jason Azzopardi called for "punishment without mercy" for the person culpable.
Magistrate Natasha Sciberras is carrying out the on-site inquiry. Armed Forces of Malta soldiers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal are on site inspecting the house. AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi, a bomb disposal expert, is also on site.
Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit said that "intensive investigations" have been launched to catch the perpetrator of the bomb attack. "I appeal for any information, even given confidentially, that can lead to us solving such a shocking case."
Azzopardi is in charge of the Police EU funds unit at the Floriana headquarters and was formerly a CID officer.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici expressed solidarity with the police inspector and his family.
Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola described the attack as another strike from the 'Malta bomb mafia'. "Like all normal people with a minimum sense of reason, Alternattiva Demokratika cannot but condemn such uncivilised and violent behaviour, which takes us back to the age of the Flintstones," he said on Facebook.
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil was on site later on in the day to express solidarity with Azzopardi. "These attacks are condemnable and unacceptable in a democratic society," Busuttil said. "The PN hopes the perpetrator of the attack is caught in as short time as possbile."
Neighbour treated for shock
One of the neighbours who spoke to MaltaToday, Carmen Pace, 68, was under shock after having heard the explosion minutes after waking up.
"My husband Joseph woke up at 4:30am to make coffee just before going off to mass," Pace said. "We heard the explosion, a loud bang and glass breaking, minutes later."
Pace and her husband, 72, are being treated for shock.