Two plead not guilty to Birkirkara armed robbery

Two men have been remanded in custody on charges relating to a hold up in Birkirkara last May, during which some €60,000 in cash was reportedly taken at knifepoint from a man in his garage.

Police had said the victim had been tied up by three masked robbers who had made off with the cash from his Birkirkara garage.

In a statement released at the time, the police had said that the robbery took place at around 7am in Karm Zerafa Street.

Three hooded and armed men entered the garage, tied up the man, aged 53, and made off with the cash. The victim required treatment for shock.

The police subsequently mounted a nationwide search for the robbers, who were later found and taken into custody.

This led to the arraignment on Wednesday afternoon of Aaron Cassar, 42 from Birzebbugia and 59-year-old Joseph Xuereb from Marsa.

Cassar has several previous convictions involving illegal weapons and is on bail in connection with a 2018 arson attack on another person who is facing murder charges relating to a separate case.

In the briefest of arraignments, the men were charged with theft aggravated by violence, means and value, illegal arrest with extortionate intent, carrying a weapon during the commission of a crime, handling stolen goods - in this case a Suzuki car, as well as recidivism.

The men were further charged with breaching separate sets of bail conditions.

The men pleaded not guilty and did not request bail.

Inspectors Lydon Zammit, Stephen Gulia and Ritienne Gauci prosecuted.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Ishmael Psaila and Jacob Magri were defence counsel.