Updated | Explosion outside contractor's residence in Gozo

An explosion rocked a street in the Gozitan village of Xaghra in the early hours of this morning after a small device went off outside a private residence. No one was injured.

The Police were not in a position to confirm where the device had been placed but a Mercedes and a Ford Transit van along with a garage door were damaged in the explosion.

The Mercedes belonged to businessman Sandro Ciliberti, 45, also known as ic-Chilly. Ciliberti, a contractor within the construction sector, works mostly in Malta but lives in Gozo. The residence is understood to belong to his grandmother.

Ciliberti, along with his partner, were inside the residence in Triq Gnien Xibla when the explosion rocked their street at around 5.30am.

Bomb disposal experts, the Police and the Civil Protection Department were called to the scene. A full investigation is underway.
Ciliberti is known to have formed part of various football committees, including the Valletta FC committee. In 2010, Ciliberti was one of seven individuals suspended by the Malta FA Board for Control and Discipline for their involvement in scuffles that marred the BOV Super Cup match on August 21, 2010. The group were later cleared by a court of inciting people to commit a crime.