Two men are facing criminal charges and have been denied bail after being accused of robbing a man, holding him against his will and attempting to violently rob and extort him.

Somalian nationals Mohamoud Afi Abdiwali, aged 25, and Abdulkadir Ahmed Mohamemed, aged 41, were hauled to court over the charges. While both were set to be given legal aids, Ahmed Mohamemed refused his, saying he didn’t need a lawyer.

However, Magistrate Ian Farrugia still swore in a legal aid for him to ensure the correct procedures were followed.

The incident, first revealed by Lovin Malta, led to a silent demonstration by the Indian community days after the attack. 

On 10th January at around 4am, police were informed that an Indian national had been attacked in Triq Diċembru Tlettax, Inspector Lydon Zammit said in court.

The two attackers were caught partly due to the fact that they were filmed on CCTV and investigators were able to confirm that they owned the clothes the two men were filmed wearing during the attack.

In response to this, the two men said that while they were in the area where the attack happened, they didn’t commit it.

They pleaded not guilty to the accusations, with the 41-year-old’s legal aid requesting bail for him.

However, in light of the serious nature of their crimes, aside from the man not having a fixed address in Malta, his bail request was denied.

The attack made international headlines, with Indian media saying that this was just the latest in a series of attacks against Indian nationals on the island.