Relatives of dangerous fugitive Jomic Calleja Maatouk's wife fear for her safety

Following the discovery of the couple's disorganised house, the family of Marzia Maatouk who vanished along with her husband, wanted man Jomic Calleja Maatouk, said that they are deeply concerned for the woman’s safety.

Jomic Calleja Maatouk was convicted of trying to import military-grade C-4 explosives, which he had bought on the dark web, into Malta has gone missing, after failing to sign his bail book for a number of days.

From her end, Marzia Maatouk has also been convicted of aggravated drug possession last July. The 19-year-old was convicted of aggravated possession of cannabis with a street value of around €6,000, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a €1,000 fine. Given that she was given an effective prison sentence and not a suspended sentence, she had likely appealed the sentence.

On Thursday, the Times of Malta reported that family members of Marzia Maatouk, who has been missing since last week, are desperately hoping that she is found. One relative said that they are worried that she could currently be in danger since she might have been compelled to flee the nation.

They claimed that nobody was at the couple’s house when police and civil protection personnel searched the couple's home on Saturday. They further noted that the residence seemed as if someone had left in a rush, and that the disorganisation was not typical of the couple.

Marzia's relatives said that she had not used WhatsApp since last Wednesday and that calls to her cell phone are being answered by voicemails that seem to imply that it has been turned off for a number of days.

Last Thursday, when his sister failed to show up to his store to fill in for a shift and refused to answer his calls, her brother was the first to raise the alarm.

When she repeatedly tried to phone Marzia but was unable to do so, her grandmother likewise started to worry that something was wrong, prompting her to file a police report.

On Saturday, a different relative visited the couple's house and knocked on their door for 45 minutes to no avail.

When police and civil protection officials got involved and searched the couple’s residence, eight dogs and other pets that belonged to the couple were also discovered. In front of the police, a family member fed the creatures, and by Monday night, all the animals had been moved to different homes or animal shelters.

Calleja Maatouk, who was convicted and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison this July, was found guilty by a magistrate on charges encompassing the importation of explosives, document forgery, utilization of forged documentation, violation of prior bail conditions, and relapse into criminal activities.

During the court proceedings, evidence emerged indicating that Calleja Maatouk had endeavored to procure lethal quantities of toxic substances including Polonium-210, radioactive substance Ricin, deadly drug Fentanyl, and C-4 explosive via a darkweb marketplace. 

Although C-4 explosive was dispatched to an address within the UK, it was intercepted by US law enforcement and substituted with a counterfeit package, which ultimately found its way to Calleja Maatouk in Malta.

Upon delivering the sentence, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech described Calleja Maatouk as "a potential instrument of mass harm."