Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540561
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt 'If there were relatives on scene I would have shot them too,' Carmelo Ciantar told police A police inspector testified how on the day of the Rabat double murder, Carmelo Ciantar had told him: "had there been relatives of the victims, I would have shot them dead too" The testimony came during the compilation of evidence against 72-year-old Carmelo Ciantar, known as 'Id-Durga', who stands accused of the double murder of Anthony Agius and Dennis Mifsud. He is also accused of ar- son and irregular possession of a firearm. Inspector Wayne Camilleri, who responded to the scene following a call from Inspector Kurt Zahra, recalled his first sight of the crime scene on the witness stand. Den- nis Mifsud was found shot in the driver's seat, while Anthony was also seen lying on the ground with visible gunshot wounds. Camilleri was present for the victim's autopsies alongside bal- listic forensic experts. He told the court how Dennis Mifsud had sustained a single gunshot wound to the face while Anthony Agius had succumbed to three gun- shots, two in the abdomen and one in the head. Camilleri further recalled the ac- cused admitting to shooting Den- nis in the head before he was even spoken to. The accused also ad- mitted to setting fire to the nearby room, stating that if he could not have it, no one else would, as he had invested significant time and money into it. Camilleri also mentioned how Ciantar had threatened to take his own life during his interrogation. "Wouldn't it have been better if a person who just threatened to take his own life had been ex- amined by a psychiatrist?" lawyer Franco Debono questioned. The witness stated that the accused re- assured the police that he was in a good state of mind, as was also confirmed by the forensic medical expert Mario Scerri, who reas- sured the investigators that there was no need for further examina- tion. Franco Debono did not agree with this assertion, noting that no psychiatrist had seen the accused before he was brought before court. The witness explained that at the time, he did not request a psychiatrist because he relied on what court medical expert Mario Scerri had told him and in light of the fact that the accused remained calm throughout. The witness re- minded the court that the police also remained with the accused at all times. High amount of gunshot residue found on Carmelo Ciantar Matthew Grima, an independent forensic scientist, was appointed to analyse gunshot residue (GSR) taken from Carmelo Ciantar and his vehicle. The analysis revealed a total of 67 particles on Ciantar's person, of which approximately one-third were characteristic of firearm discharge. Specifically, two char- acteristic particles were found on his right hand, six on the left torso of his shirt, and nine on his jeans, along with seven particles in his pockets. The witness reaffirmed that these results established the pres- ence of GSR and provided very strong evidence that Ciantar had discharged a firearm. Addition- ally, several particles were recov- ered from the seat of his Peugeot. The firearm used, a Beretta shot- gun, was legally registered to Ci- antar, and its license was valid and paid for by the accused. This was verified by a representative from the Weapons Office. The defence requested that all civilian witnesses be brought up to testify by the next sitting. The case was adjourned to 27 November at 12:00pm. The court was presided over by Magistrate Astrid May Grima. AG lawyer Anthony Vella prose- cuted, assisted by Inspectors Kurt Colombo Zahra, Wayne Camilleri and Cheyenne Mangion. Lawyers Franco Debono, Adreana Zam- mit, Anthea Bonnici Zammit and Francesca Zarb appeared for the accused. Carmelo Ciantar id-Durga (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Malta has 13 registered influencers, and 86 content creators MALTA has 13 registered influ- encers and 86 content creators, information tabled in parliament shows. The information was tabled in parliament by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in re- ply to parliamentary question by Opposition MP Karol Aqui- lina. The data published from Job- sPlus reveals that only three people were officially regis- tered in 2020 up till December, whilst 29 people were regis- tered as content creators in the same time period. The statistics are related to employment according to the International Standard Classi- fication of Occupations. Over the last four years, ten new people registered as influ- encers, whilst 57 new people registered as content creators. The year 2021 saw a decrease of one influencer and four con- tent creators. Between the time period of December 2023 and December 2024, there were six new influ- encer registrations, and 16 new content creators registered. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt