‘Lilu King’ and butcher shop worker arraigned over ‘extremely graphic’ San Ġwann assault
The investigation into a “vicious and extremely graphic” assault at a San Ġwann butcher shop widened on Monday, with two more men arraigned in court.
Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, 34, known as ‘Lillu King’, and Noureddin Amer Miloud Almahmoudi, 41, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Monica Vella to a raft of charges including complicity in non-consensual sexual acts, abduction, aggravated theft, and psychological torture.
The case had already seen self-proclaimed ‘Malta’s El Chapo’ Jordan Azzopardi and another man, Abdulmomen Abudagil, remanded in custody.
Azzopardi alone is facing accusations of attempted homicide relating to the incident.
The case
On Sunday 21 April, a visibly injured man went to the Sliema police station alleging that he had been threatened with a knife, beaten, robbed, and sexually assaulted with an object.
The victim told investigators he had been lured to the San Ġwann butcher shop by Abdulmomen Abudagil, brother of his ex-partner. He alleged that once there, he was taken to a basement and subjected to a sustained assault.
Abudagil had already been arraigned alongside Jordan Azzopardi in relation to the case. Both men have been denied bail.
During the magisterial inquiry, the victim said that one of the alleged aggressors had claimed to know “Lilu King” – Mohamed Elmushraty – during the assault.
Phone calls and arrest
Investigators subsequently sought access to phone calls made by El Mushrati while in custody.
Hours before the alleged incident, Elmushraty had placed a call to Abudagil where he allegedly instructed him to “switch off the cameras” and to ensure that “no one sees what he is doing.”
In the same conversation, Abudagil said he would not carry out what he had previously been told to do “on another day.”
Elmushraty also allegedly told Abudagil to “give him a good beating”.
The prosecution noted the original Arabic wording admits multiple interpretations, including delivering a severe beating.
Evidence against second accused
Noureddin Almahmoudi, an employee at the butcher’s shop where the assault happened, had initially been questioned and released without police bail 10 days before his arrest.
The victim told police that upon entering the shop, he saw a man leaving the premises, who was later identified as Almahmoudi through CCTV footage.
He had told police he left the butcher shop at around midday after being instructed by his employer to return at 8pm.
However, footage later suggested he exited at a different time and was seen turning the shop sign from “open” to “closed” before leaving.
A fresh arrest warrant was subsequently issued.
Defence arguments
Defence lawyer Adriana Zammit questioned the interpretation of Elmushraty’s phone calls. She argued that at a point, her client may have been discouraging, rather than encouraging, wrongdoing.
Bail was not requested for Elmushraty.
Lawyer Jacob Magri, appearing for Almahmoudi, maintained that his client’s alleged involvement was minimal.
“The only thing he did was leave the shop,” Magri argued, cautioning against being swayed by what he described as “bombastic accusations”.
He stressed the principal alleged perpetrators had already been charged in earlier proceedings and that the case against his client rested largely on CCTV footage showing him exiting the premises and allegedly handling the shop sign.
Prosecution reply
On behalf of the Attorney General, lawyer Jurgen Dalli insisted that the court should consider the evolving nature of the investigation.
While acknowledging that Almahmoudi had initially been released due to limited evidence, Dalli said that subsequent developments, including the arrest of other suspects, had strengthened the case.
“The investigation did not stop,” he said. “It is still ongoing and has not ended here.”
He warned that granting bail at this stage would be premature, citing the risk of flight and the possibility of interference with evidence, particularly as the victim has yet to testify.
Bail refused
The court rejected Almahmoudi’s bail request, noting the risk of absconding and the potential for tampering with evidence.
A protection order was also issued in favour of the alleged victim.
Monday’s arraignment follows the 23 April appearance of Jordan Azzopardi, the notorious figure dubbed ‘Malta’s El Chapo’, and Abdulmomen Abudagil, the brother of the victim’s ex-girlfriend.
The victim had told police he was lured to the butcher shop by Abudagil, where he was subsequently taken to the basement and subjected to “extremely graphic” sexual penetration with an object.
Azzopardi, who allegedly described himself as El Chapo’ to the police, faces additional charges of attempted murder.
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