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Associated Press

A Maltese court charged three men Tuesday with the car-bomb slaying of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, as details from the investigation indicated she was killed by a remote-controlled explosion of TNT.
Seven other Maltese men were released on bail pending further investigation.
The arrest of the 10 men Monday was the first breakthrough in the October 16 killing that shocked this Mediterranean island and led the European Parliament to send a delegation on a fact-finding mission related to the rule of law in Malta.
Malta car bomb kills star investigative journalist who reported on Panama Papers
The three main suspects, who all had previous police records, arrived under heavy police escort at the court late Tuesday and pleaded innocent to the charges, which included murder and possession of explosive material. They were represented by a court-appointed lawyer.
Peter Caruana Galizia, the victim’s husband, attended the hearing.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a leading investigative reporter whose exposes focused on corruption, drug trafficking and scandals involving Malta’s elite. She was killed when a bomb blew up in her car she drove near her home.
Ahead of the arraignment, officials with knowledge of the investigation said FBI equipment helped in the collection of “electronic communication evidence” that led to the suspects. The evidence included triangulation data of the call that triggered the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia.
The type of explosive used was TNT, the officials also said, contradicting earlier reports that Semtex plastic explosive had been used. The officials agreed to discuss the case only if not quoted by name because they weren’t authorised to release details.
Sons of slain journalist call for Malta leader’s resignation
The officials said the investigation into the other seven arrested men would continue, but with no charges being filed the men had to be released under Maltese law within 48 hours of their arrest. They were forced to turn over their passports and must check in regularly with police.
The three suspects ordered held all had previous brushes with the police. Two of them, Vincent Muscat, 55, and Alfred Degiorgio, 52, were acquitted in 2004 on armed robbery charges while Degiorgio’s brother George, 54, was charged with possession of unlicensed weapons and tools used to pick locks. Muscat, who shares the Maltese prime minister’s last name but is not a relative, also was critically injured in a 2014 shooting from which he recovered.
At a news conference announcing the arrests Monday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the FBI helped Maltese police in their investigation together with Europol, the European Union’s police agency and other European investigators, including from Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
Muscat said the suspects were arrested on “reasonable suspicion” of involvement in Caruana Galizia’s killing. He would not give more details, citing concerns that divulging information could compromise the case.
Minutes before her death, Caruana Galizia, 53, had posted on her blog, Running Commentary, that there were “crooks everywhere” in Malta.
Malta has a reputation as a tax haven in the European Union and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe as well.
Last week, a European Parliament delegation expressed concerns over the rule of law in Malta and issued a warning that the “perception of impunity in Malta cannot continue.”
Late Tuesday, Malta’s prime minister – a frequent target of Caruana Galizia’s reporting – said her slaying was “the worst chapter of my time as prime minister.”


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Crime

Malta charges three with car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Galizia

One of the three suspects (right, obscured) charged with the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia arrives at court in Valletta on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

epa06370191 Magistrate Nevile Camilleri (C) arrives to the Court in Valletta, Malta, 05 December 2017. The three suspects were arraigned before the Court and accused of the Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia murder. Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, was killed in a car bombing near Mosta , Malta on 16 October 2017. EPA-EFE/DOMENIC AQUILINA

FILE - This Oct. 16, 2017 file photo shows the wreckage of the car of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia after a car bomb which killed her, next to a road in the town of Mosta, Malta. On Monday, Dec. 4, 2017 Malta's prime minister Joseph Muscat announced the arrest of eight suspects, all Maltese citizens, in the murder of the journalist. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud, file)

FILE -- This April 4, 2016 file photo shows Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in Malta on Oct. 16. On Monday, Dec. 4, 2017 Malta's prime minister Joseph Muscat announced the arrest of eight suspects, all Maltese citizens, in the murder of the journalist. (AP Photo/Jon Borg, files)

Malta car bomb kills star investigative journalist who reported on Panama Papers

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a prominent investigative reporter whose work focused on corruption

The wreckage of the car of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia lies next to a road in the town of Mosta, Malta, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. Malta's prime minister says a car bomb has killed an investigative journalist on the island nation. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the bomb that killed reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia exploded Monday afternoon as she left her home in a town outside Malta's capital, Valetta. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)

A woman places a candle on the Love monument during a silent candlelight vigil to protest against the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack, in St Julian's, Malta, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The wreckage of the car that belonged to investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia lies next to a road in the town of Mosta, Malta, on Monday after it was destroyed by a bomb. Photo: AP

Sons of slain journalist call for Malta leader’s resignation as UN demands independent investigation

Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat arrives at the EU summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar addresses a news conference about investigations into the assassination of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, at police headquarters in Floriana, Malta, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

ALTERNATIVE CROP AND ADDING NAMES - Matthew Caruana Galizia (C) and Peter Caruana Galizia (2ndL), son and husband of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and policemen walk past the wreckage of a car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia close to her home in Bidnija, Malta, on October 16, 2017. The force of the blast broke her car into several pieces and catapulted the journalist's body into a nearby field, witnesses said. She leaves a husband and three sons. Caruana Galizia's death comes four months after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's Labour Party won a resounding victory in a general election he called early as a result of scandals to which Caruana Galizia's allegations were central. / AFP PHOTO / STR / Malta OUT / ALTERNATIVE CROP

Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia attends a press conference in Valletta, Malta January 28, 2015. Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed after a bomb blew up a car killing her in Bidnija, Malta, on October 16, 2017. Picture taken January 28, 2015. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Mystery in Malta as five die in fiery crash of unmarked French spy plane

A passenger on another plane captured this image of the blazing wreckage of an unmarked plane at Malta International Airport ion Monday. Photo: EPA

In this handout image made available Monday Oct. 24, 2016 by Stefan Gschwind shows Fairchild Metroliner N577MX as it lands at unknown location. The small plane was heading toward Libya's coast to monitor migrant trafficking routes crashed soon after takeoff from Malta's airport Monday, killing all five French crew members, authorities said. The twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner banked to the right and slammed into the ground in a huge fireball soon after lifting off at 7:20 a.m.(Stefan Gschwind via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Investigators and rescue services at the scene of a plane crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta, 24 October 2016. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA.

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Seven other men have been released on bail as investigations into the killing continue


Malta charges three with car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Galizia

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Seven other men have been released on bail as investigations into the killing continue

Seven other men have been released on bail as investigations into the killing continue