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

Police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi, who was targeted in the bomb attack. Photo: John Pisani
Police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi, who was targeted in the bomb attack. Photo: John Pisani
Police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi was in the house with his wife and three children at the time of the explosion. Photo: John Pisani
Police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi was in the house with his wife and three children at the time of the explosion. Photo: John Pisani
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site inspect the debris from the bomb attack. Photo: John Pisani
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site inspect the debris from the bomb attack. Photo: John Pisani
Azzopardi's house on Blue Grotto Avenue. Photo: John Pisani
Azzopardi's house on Blue Grotto Avenue. Photo: John Pisani
The disloged garage door blown apart in the bomb attack on Geoffrey Azzopardi's house. Photo: John Pisani
The disloged garage door blown apart in the bomb attack on Geoffrey Azzopardi's house. Photo: John Pisani
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil visited the scene of the crime. Photo: Partit Nazzjonalista
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil visited the scene of the crime. Photo: Partit Nazzjonalista
Bomb targets home of Police Inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi

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.

The disloged garage door blown apart in the bomb attack on Geoffrey Azzopardi's house. Photo: John Pisani
The disloged garage door blown apart in the bomb attack on Geoffrey Azzopardi's house. Photo: John Pisani
The garage door blown wide apart by the bomb. Photo: John Pisani
The garage door blown wide apart by the bomb. Photo: John Pisani
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site
AFM personnel from the EOD unit comb the area for bomb fragments and shrapnel. Photo: John Pisani
AFM personnel from the EOD unit comb the area for bomb fragments and shrapnel. Photo: John Pisani
AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi, a bomb disposal expert, on the scene of the crime. Photo: John Pisani
AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi, a bomb disposal expert, on the scene of the crime. Photo: John Pisani
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site with AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi
AFM Bomb Disposal Unit soldiers on site with AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi
Glass panes shattered by the blast from the bomb. Photo: John Pisani
Glass panes shattered by the blast from the bomb. Photo: John Pisani
Cars damaged by the blast from the bomb
Cars damaged by the blast from the bomb

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.

 The bomb blast was strong enough to shatter the glass from windows of neighbouring houses.
The bomb blast was strong enough to shatter the glass from windows of neighbouring houses.

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."

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.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil visited the scene of the crime. Photo: Partit Nazzjonalista
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil visited the scene of the crime. Photo: Partit Nazzjonalista

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.