Polish priest murdered in Maltese-run school following threat letter

It still has not been established whether extremists were behind the killing of 34-year old Fr Rybinski, or whether he was the victim of a botched robbery.

The Polish missionary was found dead in the garage of a Maltese mission school on Friday. He had been missing for 24 hours before he was found with his throat slit and a blow to the head.

Fr Mule Stagno told The Sunday Times “We’re shocked. The parents of our students are shocked. Nobody expected these things to happen in Tunisia.”

On January 31, the Maltese community of Salesians of Don Bosco, responsible for the mission school for 700 children in Tunisia for over 20 years, found an anonymous letter threatening them with death unless a sum of money was paid.

“The letter was addressed to ‘Jews’ which was very strange,” Fr Mule Stagno said. “It said we were being monitored, and had a swastika sign in the bottom.”

The letter was taken to the relevant authorities but Fr Mule Stagno is doubtful whether the threat was taken seriously. “We’re asking the media to help. It could be the work of extremists. It could be the result of a robbery gone wrong. We really don’t know,” he said.

Fr Mule Stagno described Fr Rybinski, who was responsible for the community’s accounting, as an “active member with an incredible work ethic.”

He said crime in Tunisia has shot up following the toppling of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime after mass protests last month.

“Yes of course we are afraid but we have to continue working. We’re not contemplating leaving, there’s danger everywhere,” he said,