False alarm outside parcel bomb house

A white envelope on the doorstep of the Qormi residence where a parcel bomb exploded last month, led to a false alarm yesterday with the police evacuating neighbours until the contents were checked for explosive material.

The envelope was not a joke and it contained some important papers for a member of the family, police sources said, insisting it was a very thoughtless gesture.

The police were alerted about the suspicious envelope at 4.15 p.m.

Neighbours were evacuated and the street was closed off as the army's Bomb Disposal Unit checked the contents of the envelope. The all-clear was given at around 5.20 p.m.

When the alarm was raised, family members were present in the house where 60-year-old Philip Cini was seriously maimed by a parcel bomb three days before Christmas. The parcel bomb had also been left on the doorstep and exploded when Mr Cini tried opening it in his kitchen.

The bomb was placed in a hollowed-out book and was powerful enough to kill a person.

Investigations are ongoing but the police have not yet spoken to Mr Cini who, although critical, was yesterday said to have improved. In the past days, he was in and out of consciousness, however, he was not questioned because he was being heavily sedated.