Updated: St Julian's shooting suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder of police officers

John Agius pleaded not guilty to charges of arson and attempted homicide after allegedly opening fire on police officers during a standoff in St Julian’s that lasted more than two hours on Friday.

On Sunday morning, inspectors told the court that the incident began at around 10am, when police and members of the Civil Protection Department responded to an alleged arson incident involving construction workers.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers found that Agius, a 74-year-old resident, had allegedly set fire to his own yard while workers were carrying out construction on a wall adjoining his property.

The workers, who were on scaffolding around two storeys above the ground, saw Agius apparently spreading a flammable liquid beneath them.

They took out their phones and began recording. The resulting footage, which quickly circulated on social media, appears to show Agius setting the liquid alight below the scaffolding.

“Pull us up, because he’s going to burn us, quickly!” one worker is heard shouting to a colleague.

Agius is then seen running from the burning property as the worker shouts: “He’s burnt us! He’s burnt us!”

Police immediately began knocking on Agius’s front door but received no response, leaving officers unable to enter the property and extinguish the fire.

Earlier, Agius’s brother, George Agius, had reportedly been seen buying fuel from a nearby petrol station.

Police went to George Agius’s residence, four doors away, and repeatedly knocked and called out to him. They received no response because he was not home at the time.

George Agius arrived at the scene shortly afterwards on a motorcycle and was immediately arrested on suspicion of involvement in the alleged arson incident. A subsequent search of his residence found nothing unusual.

He is expected to be arraigned separately over his suspected involvement in the incident.

Meanwhile, John Agius remained holed up inside his residence and did not respond to officers’ repeated demands that he open the front door.

The court heard that Agius was known to have four shotguns and two revolvers registered in his name, prompting police to exercise particular caution throughout the operation.

Police warned him not to aggravate the situation by refusing to cooperate while his property was on fire, but he remained silent.

While searching for another way into the building, officers spotted Agius through a metal door set into a rock wall. They repeatedly ordered him to open the door and allow them inside, but he again failed to respond.

Police then obtained a view of the property from above and observed that the fire appeared to be dying out on its own. Officers consequently focused their efforts on arresting Agius.

They returned to the front of the building and attempted to force open the door but found that it had been reinforced with a bar and would not move. They then turned their attention to the metal door leading into the yard.

Armed and wearing bulletproof vests, officers entered through the door and were immediately met with gunfire.

Officer Omar Sharif was struck on the left side of his neck and in his left thigh, while another officer was also injured. Sharif sustained minor injuries and is in a stable condition.

Inspectors said the bullet expanded on impact. Sharif and the other injured officer were left trapped inside the building, exposed to the gunman’s line of fire and without an immediate means of escape.

Officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit, police negotiators and a SWAT team were called to the scene. Using a megaphone, they repeatedly urged Agius to surrender, but he did not respond.

Attempts were also made to contact him by phone, but his device was switched off.

Equipped with shields, RIU officers and the SWAT team then entered the building and were again met with gunfire.

A bullet struck the lead officer’s shield, causing him to fall backwards onto the officers behind him and leaving them exposed within the shooter’s line of fire.

Inspectors told the court that the same bullet then struck another officer in the face and neck, leaving him in critical condition. He was later identified as Johann Vella.

Vella was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital. He is now in stable condition but remains in the Intensive Care Unit, where he is receiving treatment.

Following the second round of gunfire, Agius switched on his mobile phone and began communicating with officers stationed outside the residence.

Police then focused first on evacuating the trapped officers and subsequently on arresting Agius.

Inspectors told the court that Agius was informed of his rights verbally and in writing before being taken to the St Julian’s police station.

A subsequent search of Agius’s residence confirmed that the fire had gone out on its own. No other people were found inside.

The defence’s request for bail was denied by Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil.

Agius was remanded in custody at the Corradino Correctional Facility while criminal proceedings against him continue.

The court issued a protection order in favour of officers Omar Sharif and Johann Vella, as well as construction workers Nawaf Khasem, Mohammed Kasem Ibrahim, Frederic Pierre Villa and Cruise Tonna.

The court warned that any breach of the protection order, including from inside the Corradino Correctional Facility, could result in a prison sentence of up to two years, a fine of up to €7,000, or both.

The prosecution was led by Inspectors Joseph Mercieca, Christian Xuereb and Stephen Gulia, assisted by Attorney General lawyers Kaylee Bonett and Joseph Camilleri Azarov.

Agius was represented by lawyer Thomas Barbara Sant.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Herman Mula appeared as parte civile.

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