Mount Carmel dodged a potentially embarrassing situation this morning as it quickly managed to recapture a patient who had allegedly tried to kill a Maltese rockstar in Paceville. 

The 38-year-old Libyan man was arrested on Sunday evening after he held a knife to the throat of Mikaela Attard in Paceville, robbed her handbag, and later repeatedly slashed at her. In a heartfelt Facebook post, Mikaela said it is sheer fortune that she is still alive as her large puffy jacket acted as a shield to the man’s blade.

The man was pinned down by security guards, arrested by police and sent straight to Mount Carmel. In a clear indication that he has serious drug problems, he was tossed into Ward 8B – designated for male drug addicts and renowned as one of the most problematic wards inside the mental hospital. 

Rockstar Mikaela Zammit almost fell victim to the Libyan man 

He didn’t stay there for long. Early this morning, Mount Carmel staff were alerted that he and another patient had managed to escape the ward and the hospital grounds. It is believed they squeezed through a window, lifted themselves onto a rooftop, climbed down to the grounds and escaped the hospital entirely. 

They were caught this morning and sent to seclusion at Mount Carmel. Questions sent by Lovin Malta to the police and Mount Carmel have not yet been answered as of the time of writing, but Newsbook has reported they were apprehended by police in Mdina Road at around 10pm – around an hour after their escape. 

The two men are the third and fourth people to have absconded from Mount Carmel so far this year. Health minister Chris Fearne recently pledged to drastically increase the annual refurbishment budget for the dilapidated hospital – from €0.5 million to €25 million for the next five years. 

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]