Suspect drug trafficker charged with car arson, denied bail
A suspect drug trafficker, charged with complicity in an arson attack on his ex-girlfriend’s car two months ago, was denied bail after pleading not guilty on Monday.
Ian Zammit, a 32-year old Żejtun resident, employed as a garage manager, was escorted to court under arrest over his alleged involvement in the incident dating to July 6, the day when the suspected arson was flagged to the Birżebbuġa district police.
A report was filed on the day about a Range Rover that had caught fire on Triq il-Ġebel.
Officers from the arsons unit soon set about collecting evidence, including CCTV footage from the scene of the suspected crime, working their way to identify three people who were allegedly involved in the attack.
These were Joseph Buttigieg, the suspect arsonist, another man who accompanied him to the site, and Zammit, suspected of complicity in the affair.
But when on July 26, the police knocked at the door of the man who allegedly set the car on fire, they discovered that he was dead, explained prosecuting inspectors Mario Xiberras and Jeffrey Scicluna during Monday's arraignment.
The second man, a Macedonian national, was subsequently arrested and charged in court.
He chose...