BREAKING | St Julian's shooting: Armed suspect in police custody, two officers injured

Police have arrested an armed suspect who shot at police officers during a standoff in St Julian's that lasted more than two hours.

The male suspect was holed up in a building and gave himself up following negotiations. A second male suspect, had previously walked out of the building unarmed, giving himself up to the police. According to a police spokesperson, both men are Maltese.

The standoff started after police and the Civil Protection Department responded to an alleged arson attack on construction workers. MaltaToday understands that one of the suspects was involved in the arson incident.

(Photo: Karl Azzopardi/MaltaToday)

The police spokesperson said two police officers from the Special Intervention Unit were hit by gunfire during the operation. One of the officers is in critical condition after being hit in the face and neck and is being operated upon at Mater Dei Hospital. The second officer was caught inside the building and only exited after negotiations with the armed suspect. The second officer sustained slight injuries.

(Photo: The Malta Independent)

The area around the building was cordoned off with several ambulances and police vehicles on site. Police used surveillance drones to monitor the situation and at one point flashbangs were also heard going off.