Two youths arrested in gunpoint robbery

Two youths were arrested in connection with an alleged theft in Pembroke on Monday afternoon.

The youths, aged 18 and 23 from Paola and Tarxien respectively were arrested shortly after the robbery by members of the Violent Crime Squad in a joint operation with the Rapid Intervention Unit. 

The police said they were alerted in mid-afternoon on Monday that three men - two Maltese and an Italian - who had been at the beach near Pembroke had reported how they were approached by the two suspects, who demanded their bag. One of the suspects even pulled out a gun and pointed it at the head of one of the men. 

At about 5:30pm a police patrol near the boathouses in Bahar ic-Caghaq noticed two people fitting the given description acting suspiciously.

When told to stop, the two drove off at speed, with the police in pursuit. On being surrounded, they got out of their car and tried to run away, but were caught and arrested.

“The arrest of these two youths in such a short period of time shows that various sections of the police are capable of working together in a timely manner. We also thank the victims for coming forward with a good description of the alleged aggressors which helped with the arrest,” Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Department of Criminal Investigations, Sandro Gatt said.