Zejtun murder investigations intensify as trail leads to Marsaskala

Investigations into the murder of Peter Cassar il-Haqqa intensified today as police officers, forensic experts and the army's branch specialised in bomb disposal spent the afternoon searching property belonging to relatives of another murdered victim.

"We have deepened our investigations," sources close to the investigation said when asked whether the search yielded any results.

Cassar, whose garage was listed as his residence, was shot to death yesterday afternoon in Triq Santa Marija, Zejtun. A preliminary investigation of the scene of crime suggests the 67-year-old man was shot in his garage, to the neck and to the chest. At least three shots were fired from a .9mm calibre pistol. Cassar is believed to have walked out of his garage, sat on the doorstep of an opposite residence where he drew his last breaths.

Il-Haqqa was an all too familiar name to the police, after a 2012 search in this same garage yielded explosives and armaments, including a possible World War II aerial bomb. During a crime conference yesterday evening, Assistant Commissioner Silvio Valletta preferred not to comment when asked whether Cassar had been investigated in connection with a parcel bomb found under the van belonging to Paul Degabriele, aka is-Suldat, back in 2012.

Degabriele, murdered in May 2013, was also known to the police. He had been questioned in connection with the December 2012 murder of Joseph Cutajar, il-Lion, found dead near his car in Mill Street in Mosta. A few hours before on the same day, Josef Grech known as il-YoYo was found dead in Bahar ic-Caghaq.

In fact, today's search in a garage in Marsaskala belonged to relatives of Cutajar.

Yesterday, the Assistant Police Commissioner said investigators were covering "all avenues", including that the killings could be connected.

Also connected could be last week's murder of 58-year-old Guzi Galea, il-Gilda, shot to death in Marsa outside his residence.

In the murders of il-Gilda and is-Suldat, investigators did not exclude that hit men - possibly foreign - were engaged for the drive-by shooting.