No fixed-point police security at Caruana Galizia home since 2010

MaltaToday has learned that the last fixed-point police security at the slain journalists' home was terminated on 3 October, 2010

The last fixed-point police security at the home of murdered blogger and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was terminated on 3 October, 2010, MaltaToday has learned.

A spokesperson for Home Affairs minister Michael Farrugia said that since that date, fixed-point security at the journalist’s home had been provided for a couple of days after the 2013 and 2017 elections, as was standard police practice in the case of a number of high-profile individuals.

Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb attack outside her home in Bidnija on Monday.

MaltaToday has also confirmed that the police had not received any reports of a threat to Caruana Galizia’s safety in the past six months at any police station.

Reports in some sections of the media said that Caruana Galizia or her relatives had filed a report at the Mosta police station two weeks ago claiming to have received death threats.

MaltaToday has learned that no such report was filed and that the police had no record of any similar reports being filed at any police station in the past six months.

“Daphne Caruana Galizia did not file any police reports related to threats to her safety in the last six months,” the spokesperson said in replies to questions sent by this newspaper.

In the meantime, MaltaToday has also learned that the American FBI forensic team that will be assisting in the investigation into the bomb blast that killed the investigative journalist will not arrive in Malta until Thursday afternoon.

When the Maltese government asked the US government for assistance immediately following news of the bomb blast, they were told the team would be in Malta in 72 hours.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in his public address 90 minutes after the car bomb exploded that he had asked the US for assistance in the investigation.

It is understood that the FBI will – in fact – be leading the investigation and Maltese forensic teams and experts have so far limited themselves to preserving the site of the crime.

In the meantime, a Dutch team reached Malta Tuesday morning, having been asked for assistance by the Maltese government.

Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia took to Twitter early yesterday morning to announce the arrival of the team from the Netherlands.

“Would like to also thank the #USA for accepting to send #FBI officials to assist the #Malta #police in the investigation of dcg murder,” he tweeted. 

“We will leave no stone unturned. We will do whatever it takes to get to the persons behind this murder.”