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2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2016 News The use of bombs as payback: 16 attacks YANNICK PACE A bomb planted inside a Mit- subishi Pajero claimed the life of 67-year-old John Camilleri on Monday morning, making him the 16th target of a bomb attack since 2010. While police are still not sure how the explosive device could have been placed inside the car without raising any suspicion, investigators are looking into Camilleri's past, including his business connections, in an at- tempt to identify a motive. Camilleri had just left his part- ner's apartment when the car blew up in Triq Paderborn, Bu- gibba. The police appear to be treating this case separately from other bomb attacks, with sources ar- guing that the modus operandi was different. Nonetheless, this is the third case this year where a bomb was used to target the vic- tim – and the 16th over the past six years. The motive behind all attacks remains mostly unknown to the media and the public, although the main suspicions always lead to individuals who are, in one way or another, linked to the smug- gling of diesel, drug trafficking or usury. The majority of cases remain shrouded in mystery. Among the most noteworthy is the incident that took place last September when 37-year-old Josef Cassar lost both legs after a bomb that was planted underneath his van exploded on the busy Marsa road during the evening rush hour. In March, no one was injured when an explosive device deto- nated at a boathouse in Armier, belonging to a 38-year-old man from Attard. In January, Martin Cachia, 56, was killed after a bomb destroyed the car he was driving. Cachia had a pending court case in con- nection with human trafficking and was involved in a number of court cases in connection with drugs, contraband cigarettes and human smuggling. Cachia, who was also a regis- tered fisherman, was investigated in connection with smuggling of fuel from Libya. As far as is pub- licly known, it was never conclud- ed whether Cachia had been car- rying the bomb or whether it had been planted in his car. In July last year, a bomb was placed outside the Toyota Show- room in Haz-Zebbug. While no one was injured in the blast, the bomb caused damage to the old showroom. Witnesses said that the explosion sounded like a pe- tard – however police sources ex- cluded that pyrotechnic materials had been used. In 2014, restaurant owner Dar- ren Degabriele was also killed by a bomb that had been placed under the car he was driving. Degabri- ele, apart from owning a Marsax- lokk restaurant, was the owner of Degabriele Fuels and operated a boat which made frequent trips to Misurata, Libya. Sources at the time said that De- gabriele was known to the police and suspected the bomb of hav- ing been detonated remotely, po- tentially using a mobile phone. Also in 2014, a bomb was placed outside police inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi's home in Zurrieq. Luckily, no injuries were reported on this occasion. The bomb was placed outside the residence's ga- rage door, which was blown off with the blast. Azzopardi was at the time known to be in charge of the Po- lice EU funds unit at the Floriana headquarters and was formerly a CID officer. Sources close to the investigation had also said that no ball bearings or metal shrapnel were found inside the bomb and that it had most likely been made using pyrotechnic materials. In the same year, bomb maker Pietru Cassar was shot dead in his residence. Cassar, known as 'il-Haqqa', was a well-known ex- plosives specialist who is thought to have manufactured a number Date Locality Persons injured / Fatalities Target 02/12/10 Floriana 3 Office 02/10/12 Fgura* 0 Vehicle 16/11/11 Hamrun 0 Vehicle 16/09/13 Armier 0 Boat house 01/06/14 Marsaxlokk 2 Vehicle 04/11/14 Zurrieq 0 Residence 27/02/15 Gudja 0 Garage 03/04/15 Mosta 0 Girna 06/07/15 Zebbug 0 Showroom 03/12/15 Birkirkara 0 Residence 08/01/16 Xaghra- Gozo 0 Residence 16/01/16 Marsascala 1 Vehicle 06/03/16 San Lawrenz - Gozo 0 N/A 23/03/16 Armier 0 Boat house 26/09/16 Marsa 3 Vehicle 31/10/16 St. Paul's Bay 1 Vehicle A car bomb went off in Bugibba on Monday killing well-known In January Martin Cachia was killed when the red Alfa Romeo he was driving exploded on the Marsascala bypass Man skips bail on rape charge to attend Halloween party MATTHEW AGIUS A Libyan man accused of the rape of a Hungarian teenager in February was back in court yes- terday after breaching his bail conditions to attend a Hallow- een party. 26-year-old Ezzedin Salem Elaoud, from Tripoli, appeared before Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, accused by po- lice inspectors John Spiteri and Matthew Spagnol of breaching the bail conditions he had been bound by in March, when he had been charged with raping a drunk teenager in a Paceville f lat. Elaoud had been arrested after the bruised and bloodied Hun- garian woman was found, sitting on the steps of an apartment block in Triq Wilga, Paceville. She had identified the accused as her aggressor. In later sittings, the court had been told that medical tests had shown that intercourse had taken place but also showed an absence of trau- matic lesions usually associated with rape on a woman's geni- tals, which could have indicated consent or that the woman had been unconscious due to alco- hol consumption. Love bites were also found on the necks of both accused and the alleged victim. After admitting to breaching bail, Elouad broke down in tears during yesterday morning's sit- ting. The magistrate was un- moved by his tears, however, telling Elouad that it was no use crying now. His sentence will be handed down on 30 November. The accused's halloween cos- tume was not revealed in court today. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi was defence counsel. List of bomb attacks since 2010